Chemicals designated as PBTs are not only toxic, but also remain in the environment for a long time where they tend to build up in the tissue of organisms throughout the food web. These organisms serve as food sources for other organisms that are sensitive to the toxicities the chemicals cause.

Reporting requirements for the sixteen specific chemicals and four chemical categories designated as PBT chemicals on the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of toxic chemicals are more stringent than for other TRI chemicals. See TRI’s PBT webpage for the full list of PBT chemicals.

Use these links or the dropdown menu above to find out more about specific PBTs: lead and lead compounds; mercury and mercury compounds; and dioxin and dioxin-like compounds.

There are also about 180 chemicals included on the TRI chemical list that are known or suspected carcinogens, which EPA refers to as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) carcinogens. These chemicals also have different TRI reporting requirements. A full list of these chemicals can be found on the TRI basis of OSHA carcinogens webpage. Select a graphic from the dropdown menu above to see how the volume of OSHA carcinogens released to air has changed over time.

Graphics in this section

Total Releases of Lead and Lead Compounds
Air Releases of Lead and Lead Compounds
Air Releases of Mercury and Mercury Compounds
Releases of Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds
Releases of Dioxin and Dioxin-like Compounds by Industry
Air Releases of OSHA Carcinogens

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This page was published in January 2017 and uses the 2015 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2016.

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