New CD Expands Local Community Right to Know Efforts

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New CD Expands Local Community Right to Know Efforts

EarthVision Reports

07/16/99

WASHINGTON, July 16, 1999 - The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has

released a new CD-ROM entitled, Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators, for

comparing information about pollution in local communities. According to the

EPA announcement, the new tool is part of the agency's public right-to-know

efforts.

The Environmental Indicators CD uses national data on toxic chemical

emissions from EPA's Toxic Release Inventory. Specifically, the new tool can

be used to compare relative risk from toxic chemicals grouped by categories

such as cities, states, and industrial facilities, based on pounds of

pollutants released, relative toxicity, population and exposure data.

However, EPA stressed that these relative-risk rankings can only be used for

comparisons.

For example, the rankings now allow one industrial facility to be compared

to another, but are not intended for quantifying actual risks posed to

public health from any single facility, geographical area or other category.

Such comparisons are meant only to be helpful only for identifying and

prioritizing areas for further research and attention the Agency says.

A more detailed description of the tool, the user manual, frequently asked

questions, and contact information is available from EPA's website below.

Associated Link:

Environmental Indicators information

http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/env_ind/index.html