EPA Launches Resource to Help Students Learn About the Toxics Release Inventory
Released January 8, 2025
Today, EPA launched “TRI in the Classroom,” a new online resource to help students learn about the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a tool for learning about toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal facilities. The TRI shows how companies handle chemical waste that comes from producing products like clothing, cars, and medicine. TRI in the Classroom is a collection of web resources that helps educators and students use the TRI data to learn about potential impacts to their health and environment from certain toxic chemicals and how impacts to their communities compare to those of other U.S. communities. Students will also learn about topics such as environmental justice and green chemistry as part of their exploration of the TRI Program. TRI in the Classroom is designed for students in grades 8-12 and includes ready-to-use classroom materials, including a video, worksheet and an introductory presentation.
The TRI data are reported to EPA annually by facilities in designated industry sectors and federal facilities that manufacture, process or otherwise use various toxic chemicals. The TRI data provide information about the amounts of each chemical released into the environment and what methods companies use to prevent pollution to protect communities. EPA makes that information available online for the public to view, providing communities across the country with information about chemical releases in their area.
The TRI in the Classroom online resource covers key topics about the TRI, including:
- Understanding Chemical Waste - What options facilities have for managing chemical waste and how that information gets reported to the TRI.
- Understanding Chemical Releases - How facilities release chemicals into the environment and where those chemicals go.
- Understanding Pollution Prevention – How facilities can keep chemicals from getting into the environment through pollution prevention, source reduction, and green chemistry and engineering.
During the next year, the TRI Program plans to expand on these initial resources with customizable presentation slides, video tutorials, additional worksheets and a library of lesson plans.
Visit the TRI in the Classroom homepage.
Other TRI Resources
EPA also provides resources tailored to other data users of the TRI, including community members, researchers, advocacy organizations, businesses, the press, and Tribal, federal, state, and local government officials.