Friday, May 08, 2009

Local chemical-risk data is again available, this time from an improved Web site

What possible chemical accidents could happen in your area? Journalists looking to report on local chemical risks again have a great tool for gathering government data for their region: the newly redesigned Right-to-Know Net. The Web site offers powerful tools to help journalists discover stories in their area, thanks to data from the Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Management Program and facility-specific histories of accidents covering the past five years. The data were concealed during the Bush administration.

The site does not identify specific facilities in its chemical risk assessment, but "the new RTK NET makes it easy to see which cities face the worst chemical risks, and what chemicals are involved," says the WatchDog TipSheet for the Society for Environmental Journalists. "Starting with this information, it is easy to zero in on specific facilities using other tools." (Read more; visit the RTK NET website)

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