2000 Toxics Release Inventory Demonstrates Chlorine Industry Success in Managing Dioxin

Arlington, VA (May 23, 2002) - Chlorine chemistry is a small and declining source of dioxins in the environment, according to several studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In fact, more than 99 percent of dioxin generated by the chlorine industry is never emitted to the open environment, as revealed in data from the EPA's new Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), which were released today for the year 2000. Instead, these dioxins (unintentional byproducts of combustion and certain manufacturing processes) are destroyed on- or offsite or disposed of in special hazardous waste and other landfills.

"Behind the TRI data is a real success story for EPA," said C.T. "Kip" Howlett, Jr., executive director of the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council. "Regulations and voluntary industry actions have reduced dioxin emissions by 92% over the past 15 years."

Under the 2000 TRI, facilities reported dioxin releases to the environment, as well as amounts of dioxin that were destroyed and disposed of. For the year 2000, the chlorine industry's actual emissions of dioxin to the open environment (air, water and land surfaces) were approximately 33 grams TEQ* (or 2,000 grams TM17**). According to the EPA's Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States, this amount represents three percent of total projected dioxin emissions from quantified sources for 2002/4. The EPA's Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States is a more comprehensive inventory for dioxin than the Toxics Release Inventory.

Government regulators, health experts and industry all agree that dioxin levels in the environment have fallen sharply since the 1970s. According to the Inventory of Sources of Dioxin, dioxin releases to the environment from quantified sources decreased by 77% from 1987 to 1995. EPA data show that they are projected to decline an additional 66% between 1995 and 2002/4, resulting in a total decline from 1987 to 2002/4 of 92%. At 0.0018%, dioxin constitutes only a miniscule fraction of all PBT releases reported under the TRI. EPA currently considers backyard trash burning to be the single largest source of dioxin in the environment.

¹Some sources included in the US EPA Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the US are not included in the Toxic Release Inventory. These include some large sources such as municipal incineration and backyard barrel burning.
^* "Other" category includes leaded and unleaded gasoline, land-applied 2,4-D, iron ore sintering, oil-fired utilities, EDC/vinyl chloride, lightweight aggregate kilns that combust hazardous waste, petroleum refinery catalyst regeneration, cigarette smoke, boilers/industrial furnaces, crematoria, and drum reclamation.

^*The Chlorine Chemistry industry includes major industrial producers and users of chlorine. Data on this website are representative of dioxin releases for greater than 90% of US chlorine production, 95% of vinyl chloride production, and over 70% of organic and inorganic chemicals directly derived from chlorine chemistry in the year 2000. All percentages were calculated in terms of grams-TEQ of dioxins.

The Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council, is a national trade association based in Arlington, VA representing the manufacturers and users of chlorine and chlorine-related products. Chlorine is widely used as a disease-fighting disinfection agent, as a basic component in pharmaceuticals and myriad other products that are essential to modern life.

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