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A number of important changes to the TRI data and their presentation occurred in connection with the 1998 data year. (The data for 1999 is similar in structure to the 1998 data.) RTK NET users who are familiar with the data as they existed in previous years should look over this document.
New Industries for 1998. The most important change in TRI data collection for the 1998 data year was the addition of seven new industries to TRI. In the beginning, in 1987 manufacturing facilities were the only ones that might need to report to TRI. In 1994, Federal facilities were required to report, by Executive Order. For the 1998 data year, the following industries were added:
Other Changes and Their Implications for Using TRI Data.Two important changes occur in TRI data with the addition of these industries. First, they approximately triple the amount of releases listed within TRI, with most of the contribution coming from the metal mining and electric utility industries. Second, the addition of treatment, disposal, and recycling facilities, as well as solvent recovery facilities, means that TRI transfer are more likely to have another TRI facility as their destination. Therefore, total of both releases and transfers from multiple facilities are more likely to involve double counting, as transfers from one facility become releases at the transfer destination. RTK NET will work on a way to account for this double counting effect, but no solution has yet been implemented.
Submissions from facilities in these newly added industries can be searched for through the Industry search.
RTK NET obtains the TRI data from U.S. EPA. Beginning with the 1998 data, EPA has placed all of the TRI data within a different data structure, as part of its conversion of the main TRI database to a different software package. Therefore RTK NET had to re-write all of its software that presents the data. New bugs may have been introduced in this process and we ask users to report any they find to HelpDesk@rtknet.org or by calling 202-234-8494.
EPA dropped some data within the TRI database that does not fit into their new data structure. For 1990 and previous years, it is no longer possible to find out how many pounds were transferred to each POTW; the data have been changed so that one can only find out how many pounds were transferred to all POTWs, as in the 1991 and later data. The voluntary Waste Minimization data that were collected in 1990 and earlier years were deleted entirely.
A few fields were dropped from the data. RTK NET used to provide a "reason for change" when a facility’s name, address, or ownership changed from year to year; this field is not provided in EPA’s new structure. EPA also decided, as a matter of policy, not to provide the Technical Contact Name and Technical Contact Phone Number to the public. Because of the importance of this information to data users, RTK NET made a special request for these data, which was granted, so these fields are still available. (RTK NET is the only source that we know of that provides the technical contact, which can be useful for journalists, researchers, neighbors and others who want to find out more about a facility's operations.)
In previous years, EPA would "freeze" the database at a particular date – in other words, they would not enter revisions into the database for a short period, during which the data would not change. EPA used to use this "frozen" database to make the tables used in the Public Data Release documents; they would also send the frozen database out to RTK NET, NLM, and other TRI data providers. In this way, all of the different providers of TRI data would produce numbers that matched each other.
For its Envirofacts project, EPA started to no longer use a frozen database, and to update the TRI data available through Envirofacts with revisions. This was good for data reporters, because it meant that corrections of their previous errors would be available before the release of next year’s frozen database. It could be considered to be good for data users for this same reason. However, it meant that TRI numbers from Envirofacts would no longer match numbers obtained from other sources.
For 1998 data, the situation is somewhat more complicated. EPA has effectively released three different versions of the data:
1. The set that it used to make the Press Release documents. This is the same set that is provided through EPA’s new TRI Explorer Web access program. It includes revisions made through March 31, 2000.
2. The set used to make the upcoming Public Data Release documents. This is almost exactly the same as the first set, except that one record has been deleted. This set is the "frozen" set. The single record that was deleted was document control number 1398125285890, TRI Facility Id 91752MTLCN10980, and reported 1633 lbs of air releases, 1 lb of water releases, 1,187,989 lbs of transfers, and 1,162,692 lbs of waste Lead in California.
3. The "current" database with the latest revisions, as represented by EPA’s version of the TRI data on Envirofacts.
In order to provide maximum flexibility for data users, RTK NET will now permit users to search either the Frozen or Current version of the database. You should use the Frozen version if you wish your results to match the Public Data Release and other EPA documents, or if you wish to ensure that you will get the same results if you do a search as you got from the same search done a month ago. You should use the Current version if you wish your results to include revisions made since March 31, 2000.
In order to match the Public Data Release, the Frozen version of the database does not include records for chemicals that have been deleted from the TRI list. The Current version of the database does include such records. So if you wish your search to include chemicals, reported in previous years, that were later deleted from TRI, you should use the Current version of the database.
RTK NET took advantage of the rewrite of its programs to add a few fields to its data output. Medium and High detail Facility, Area, Parent, and Industry searches will now include the activities and uses of each chemical at the facility, as well as individual SIC codes and contact names and phone numbers for each chemical.
Offsite searches for transfers sent to POTWs now provide transfer amounts. These are derived by assuming that the total amount sent to POTWs from each TRI submission is divided equally among all of the POTW destinations that it lists.
Offsite searches can no longer be sorted by sending facility. This capability slowed down the Offsite searches too much, and was dropped.
Last updated on April 26, 2001