New report analyzes toxic-release reports to figure amount of chemical pollution in waterways

Industrial facilities were responsible for 226 million pounds of toxic chemicals in 1,400 American waterways in 2010, according to an Environment America study released last week. Forty percent of all toxic discharges into waterways come from Indiana, Virginia, Nebraska, Texas and Georgia, according to a press release. The organization analyzed toxic chemical release reports companies sent to the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA compiles the data into a Toxics Release Inventory that is searchable by location. (Environment America map)

The reports found that food and beverage manufacturing (including slaughterhouses and rendering plants), metals manufacturing, chemical plants and oil refineries are some of the biggest polluters. AK Steel, based in West Chester, Ohio, was responsible for the most pollution from a single source, at 30 million pounds. About 1.5 million pounds of carcinogens were discharged in 2010, including arsenic, chromium and benzene. Nitrates accounted for almost 90 percent of the total volume of discharges in 2010. The full report can be accessed here, and a summary can be found here.