Section 2: Air Releases

Trend in Air Releases

This figure shows a significant decline in air releases from 2003 to 2013, which has been a primary driver of the decrease in total releases since 2003. Air releases have decreased by 836 million pounds (53%) since 2003. Most of this decline is due to decreases in HAP emissions, such as hydrochloric acid, at electric utilities. HAP emissions have decreased as electric utilities have shifted away from coal to other fuel sources and installed new control technologies at coal-fired power plants. Air releases of carcinogens have also decreased; see the Air Releases of Carcinogens figure. Air releases of other chemicals of special concern, including lead and mercury, have also decreased since 2003 but have increased since 2012; see the Chemicals of Special Concern section.

This page was published in January 2015 and uses the 2013 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2014.