Waste handling release reporting

According to the 1993 TRI, the amount of chloroform released to land is only a small fraction (less than 1%) of the total amount of chloroform released to the enviromnent by facilities that produce and process the chemical (see Section 5.2.3) (TRI93 1995). TRI also documents 2,386,285 pounds (1,073,828 kg) transferred to off-site waste handling sites in 1993, a level amounting to around 17% the total releases to environmental media and larger than any releases to environmental media other than air (TRI93 1995). The TRI data should be used with caution since only certain types of facilities are required to report. This is not an exhaustive list. 

First of all, the CERCLA requires all hazardous waste releases over a prescribed threshold, known as reportable quantities (RQs), to be reported to National Response Center. Action is taken from that point to determine if it will be a CERCLA site. The CERCLA also established development of a National Contingency Plan. This plan includes all procedures for handling hazardous waste in the United States. The act also requires the creation of an uncontrolled hazardous waste site ranking system (HRS). The HRS determines if a site should be placed on the National Priorities List (NPL), which is a list of all the Superfund sites. 

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