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CONNECTICUT COMPANIES REDUCE TOXIC RELEASES BY 22% IN SINGLE YEAR, EPA NAMES TEN LARGEST POLLUTION EMITTERS

Release Date: 06/18/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1064 Dwight Peavey, EPA TRI Coordinator, (617) 918-1829

Boston -- Connecticut's manufacturers reduced the amount of toxics released into the air, water and land by 82.7% between 1988 and 1996, according to data released today by EPA's New England office. The improved environmental performance of Connecticut's manufacturing facilities represents a reduction of 22% over the previous year, far out-pacing the 5% rate of improvement nationally and slightly above the New England-wide improvement rate of 18%.

"We are showing the nation once again that we can grow the New England economy while reducing pollution. Companies across the region are proving that smart environmental practices equal smart business practices," said EPA's New England Administrator John P. DeVillars.

"This year's TRI results continue the trend of less and less pollution entering Connecticut's environment and spoiling the state's natural resources," said Arthur Rocque Jr., commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection. "The magnitude of reductions over the past eight years, more than 80%, reflects a serious commitment to compliance assurance, pollution prevention, outreach and assistance, and, as a result of this commitment, Connecticut's environment is getting cleaner. Manufacturers and businesses are reducing pollution before it is created and are part of the overall solution to a cleaner environment."

Beginning in 1988, manufacturers were required to send pollutant information to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). A review of data shows that Connecticut's industries have reduced pollution from 32,539,146 pounds in 1988 to just 5,632,025 in 1996 (the last year for which data is available). That is a 82.7% reduction in chemicals entering the environment. The national average for pollution reduction during the same time period is 47.5%.

The following is a list of Connecticut's ten largest emitters of toxic chemicals. It is important to note that these chemical emissions are reported to EPA under the TRI and do not reflect illegal discharges of pollutants to the environment.

COMPANY NAME	ADDRESS	TOTAL # pounds Chemicals emitted locally
Pfizer Inc-Groton Site	Groton	884,745
Sponges Intl.	Shelton	525,768
Dow North America	Gales Ferry	498,174
Cytec Ind.	Wallingford	462,237
Owens-Brockway	Waterbury	190,001
Allegheny Ludlum Corp.	Wallingford	181,275
U.S. Surgical Corp.	North Haven	177,360
Vitramon Inc.	Monroe	160,748
Olin Corp.	Waterbury	151,049
Karo Mfg. Inc.	Naugatuck	141,000

The 1996 TRI data also shows that in Connecticut 116.3 million pounds (66%) of toxic wastes were recycled, 6.7 million pounds (4%) were used for energy recovery, 43.7 million pounds (25%) were treated before disposal, and 1.0 million (1%) were disposed of at a location other than at the facility.

"EPA's New England office has the largest assistance and pollution prevention program in the nation, and the efforts of this program are helping to reduce environmental impacts across New England," said DeVillars.

The reporting of data to the Toxics Release Inventory is required under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, passed in 1986. The TRI provides the amount, location and type of release to the environment -- whether a pollutant is emitted into the air, discharged into the water, or released onto the land. It also includes information on waste shipped off-site for disposal or further treatment. The TRI has been credited with arming communities with valuable knowledge and encouraging facilities to reduce their releases of toxic chemicals into the environment through source reduction, or pollution prevention, measures.

TRI information is easily accessible to the news media and to the public. Information is available on-line, HTTP://WWW.EPA.GOV/OPPTINTR/TRI, in hard copy and in a variety of computer formats, including CD-ROM. For copies or more information, the public is encouraged to call EPA's toll-free Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Information Hotline at 1(800) 424-9346.