Fewer toxic chemicals were spewed into the environment in 2022 than any recent pre-pandemic year, though emissions from polluting industries increased slightly since the prior year.
According to EPA’s 2022 analysis of Toxics Release Inventory data, overall emissions decreased 21 percent from 2013 levels but rose 1 percent from 2021 levels.
The 21,752 facilities that reported data handled just under 32 billion pounds of waste, 88 percent of which was properly treated, recycled or recovered for energy.
The other 12 percent was released, meaning 3.3 billion pounds of dangerous chemicals were emitted into the air, discharged into water or improperly disposed of in the environment. Facilities are required to report data on 827 chemicals, but only 522 chemicals were reported in 2022.
