Tracking Toxic Chemicals: The Value of Materials Accounting Data

Mark H. Dorfman and Marian Wise (1997, 80 pp.,)
ISBN 0-918780-68-3.

SYNOPSIS

The major manufacturing facilities in the United States report their annual generation of toxic waste (about 20 billion pounds) to the federal Toxics Release Inventory. Only two states, New Jersey and Massachusetts, require these same facilities to provide more data on industrial chemical use and production, which totals 6 trillion pounds nationally. The data collected in New Jersey, known as materials accounting, provides the most complete picture of the flow of a chemical through a facility: it identifies the quantities of specific chemicals entering the facility, how much is consumed in production processes, and how much leaves the facility as (or in) products, as well as in waste, and finally, how much is kept in on-site storage.

INFORM's report takes a close look at the materials accounting data collected in New Jersey and finds that the state's database provides information in three areas that are critical for tracking the flow of toxic chemicals, and that would greatly add to the value of the TRI if collected nationally.

1. Quantities of industrial toxic chemicals used. Recording the total quantity used of a given chemical at a facility in a given year can show whether all uses of that chemical have been accounted for. Tracking all uses is an important step toward describing their associated exposures, because while certain contained uses may not result in exposures, other dispersive applications (such as spraying) may expose workers and the local environment.

2. Reduction of industrial toxic chemicals used and reduction of waste at the source. Only New Jersey requires industrial facilities to report the quantities of any reductions achieved in the generation of waste through pollution prevention measures, compared with the previous year. Reducing the use of toxic chemicals at an industrial facility and the generation of waste is the most direct way of eliminating human or environmental exposure that might occur during handling, storage, recycling, treatment, disposal, or release to the environment.

3. Efficiency of industrial toxic chemical use. Materials accounting data allow a variety of measures of how efficiently a facility is using particular chemicals. From an environmental standpoint, using a chemical more efficiently during manufacturing would mean that more of the total amount used goes to its intended purpose (such as an ingredient in a product or as a processing aid) and less is generated as waste. New Jersey's data can be used to shed light on those facilities that should be recognized for improvements already achieved or that might be targeted for technical assistance due to lack of evidence of such improvement.

Who Can Use Materials Accounting Data? And for What Purpose?

Businesses can use the data to identify opportunities for preventing waste and to measure their own performance over a given time period. In particular, a company can examine the efficiency with which it uses chemicals, not just in terms of waste generation but also regarding whether the chemical is used for its intended purpose or whether it is ending up in a product when it does not need to be there. Companies can compare the performance of their facilities to similar facilities within or outside the company.

Government can use the data to identify which chemicals are used in the largest quantities and in the most inefficient manner; government can also use the data to identify which facilities or industrial sectors are responsible for these uses. From a regulatory or programmatic standpoint, this information would enhance the targeting of chemicals for reduction and in targeting facilities or communities for technical assistance. In addition, government agencies responsible for public health can use the data to track what chemicals are entering or leaving facilities as (or in) products.

Communities in the neighborhoods of industrial facilities and public interest groups that study industrial activity can examine the data to track quantities of chemicals entering and leaving the facilities. The data will provide a new set of questions to raise with companies, such as: why is this toxic chemical being shipped as part of this product, when the company's report suggests that it was not intended to be part of the product?

INFORM's research makes it clear that materials accounting data - if collected throughout the nation - would enable a new and valuable means for industry leaders, government agencies, and environmental groups to measure, and thus promote, pollution prevention progress. The data would also provide a critical component of the basic information necessary for tracking the movement of toxic chemicals through commerce and for identifying ways to avoid harmful exposures.

Fact sheets on Materials Accounting Data and tracking toxic chemicals.

Executive summary of this report.

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