Industrial and federal facilities in the United States released more than 4 billion pounds of chemicals into the environment in 2005, according to the latest yearly compilation of data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory. Chemical releases had increased by 117 million pounds, or 3 percent, over the past year.
The EPA collects information on nearly 650 toxic chemicals that facilities emit into the air, release into waters, or dispose of in landfills or underground wells.
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