The amount of toxic chemicals released are on the rise but still far below 2007 levels, according to the EPA.
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The latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency finds facilities in the three Northwest states released a combined 105 million pounds of toxic chemicals -- contributing to a national reversal in the recent trend of reduced toxic chemicals released into the air, land and water.
Nationally, The 2010 Toxic Release Inventory report issued this month shows releases rose 16 percent from 2009 to 2010. The rates of increase were greater in the Northwest:
Idaho: 95 facilities reported a total of 67 million pounds of toxic chemical releases, an increase of 17 percent.
Oregon: 271 facilities reported a total of 18 million pounds of toxic chemical releases, an increase of 20 percent.
Washington: 304 facilities reported a total of 20 million pounds of toxic chemical releases, an increase of 27 percent.
The EPA's toxic chemical releases measure the amount of a toxic chemicals released into the air and water, injected underground, deposited into landfills and other disposal sites.
Reports that show TRI data broken out by industry, chemicals, and facilities for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington can be found here.
The EPA defines the Northwest region as including Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Oregon. in those four states combined, metal mining accounted for 92 percent of the toxic chemicals released. Mining is far bigger in Alaska and Idaho -- which produced the greatest volume of toxic chemical releases in the region -- than in Washington and Oregon.
EPA data shows that for Oregon, Washington and Idaho combined, the release of toxic chemicals rose to 135.3 million pounds by 2007. The following year -- when the global financial meltdown drove the economy into recession -- the amount of chemicals released began to decline, both nationally and in the Northwest.
The decline continued until 2009, when the amount of toxics released in Oregon, Washington and Idaho combined totaled 93.4 million pounds.
The 2010 chemical release totals for the region, at 110.5 million tons represent an 18 percent increase from the previous year but remain 18 percent below the 2007 level.