Statement of the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council on EPA's 2001 Toxics Release Inventory

C. T. "Kip" Howlett, Jr., Executive Director of the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council, released the following statement today:

"As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) releases data from the 2001 Toxics Release Inventory, the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council is pleased to report that chlorine chemistry remains a very minor source of dioxin released to the environment.

The chlorine industry reported approximately 30 grams-TEQ* released to the environment in 2001 compared to 33 grams-TEQ released in 2000, the first year of TRI dioxin reporting, demonstrating that dioxin releases are low and staying low. Of the g-TEQ of dioxin generated by the chlorine industry in 2001, the vast majority (approximately 97%) was destroyed on- or offsite, or disposed of in special hazardous waste and other types of landfills.

Through a combination of regulatory controls and voluntary industry efforts, significant progress has been made in curbing industrial dioxin emissions. According to EPA's own data, there has been a 92% reduction over the past 16 years. In fact, EPA has said that the current single largest source of dioxin to the environment is the open burning of trash, predominantly a rural practice for which TRI data are not collected.

The chlorine industry's dioxin releases to air and water represent approximately 3% of the total 2002/2004 EPA-projected dioxin emissions from quantified sources, as tabulated in EPA's more comprehensive Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States.

Dioxins are unintentional byproducts of combustion and certain manufacturing processes. A growing scientific understanding of the chemistry of unintended dioxin formation has given birth to technological advances in pollution control that effectively minimize industrial dioxin formation. The Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council and its member companies will continue to support efforts to further reduce dioxin emissions, while at the same time provide the building blocks of chlorine chemistry that help produce essential products that make our lives safer, healthier and more convenient."

###

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.

^*TEQ (toxic equivalency) is the internationally accepted method for reporting dioxin emissions

Chlorine Chemistry is a small source of Dioxin Releases
Sector represents approximately 3% of 2002/4 EPA estimated Dioxin Releases¹

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.

Editors Note: To help answer any questions raised by the Toxics Release Inventory, the Chlorine Chemistry Council has created a Web site, www.TRIfacts.org, which includes a wide range of background information about dioxin, the TRI in general, and dioxin reporting in the 2001 TRI. The site also includes links to relevant government sites, as well as data on dioxin emissions from the Chlorine Chemistry Division of the American Chemistry Council member companies.

¹The 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 2001. 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.