This layer displays the amount of toxic releases based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a national program which tracks the management of over 650 toxic chemicals that pose a threat to human health and the environment. Facilities must report how each chemical is managed through recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and releases to the environment. A “release” of a chemical means that it is emitted to the air or water, or placed in some type of land disposal. The information submitted by facilities to the EPA and states is compiled annually as the Toxics Release Inventory or TRI, and is stored in a publicly accessible database ( Envirofacts. For more information, please visit the EPA Toxics Release Inventory web page.