According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pollution from industrial facilities is responsible for threatening or fouling water quality in more than 14,000 miles of rivers and streams, more than 220,000 acres of lakes, ponds and estuaries nationwide. This report uses data from the federal government’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to estimate releases of toxic chemicals to American waterways in 2010. In this report, the authors examine data on toxic discharges through several lenses, presenting information on the volume of releases to American waterways of:
• All toxic chemicals listed under TRI;
• Toxic chemicals linked to specific health effects—cancer, reproductive disorders, and developmental harm; and
• Certain chemicals that can have a significant impact on the environment and human health in small quantities - including persistent bioaccumulative toxics, organochlorines and phthalates.