January 25, 2016

Toxic Chemicals in State Recycled Less than Nationally

EPA's annual report tracks production, disposal of chemicals that harm health or environment.

pollution spot

Listen:

Both production and recycling of toxic chemicals have grown in recent years across the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's annual Toxic Release Inventory report.

Arizona, however, has seen both rates fall.

Nationally in 2014, the most recent year for which data are available, producers recycled nearly 37 percent of the chemicals that the EPA monitors.

In Arizona, the recycling rate was 28 percent, down from 35 percent in 2013.

The vast majority of toxic substances in the state are disposed of in landfills or underground wells, the EPA said.

Four of the top five producers of toxic chemicals in Arizona are mines. The Springerville Generating Station is the lone energy plant in that list.

The EPA tracks 594 chemicals that harm human health or damage the environment.

(To read about what is produced in Arizona, click here.)[http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?pstate=AZ&pyear=2014&pParent=TRI&pDataSet=TRIQ1]

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona