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		SEPTEMBER 10, 1998 11:33 AM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: US Public Interest Research Group Allison LaPlante, Liz Hitchcock (202) 546-9707

		One Billion Pounds of Toxic Chemicals Dumped Into America's Waters

		WASHINGTON - September 10 - According to a report released today by U.S. PIRG, industries reported discharging nearly one billion pounds of toxic chemicals into America's waterways between 1992 and 1996. The report, Troubled Waters found that industries discharged an additional 141 million pounds into sewer systems, eventually being released to waterways, over the same five year period. “Troubled Waters illustrates that polluters continue to use America’s waterways as dumping grounds for toxic chemicals," said Allison LaPlante, U.S. PIRG Environmental Advocate. "Many of the chemicals being discharged into our rivers and streams are known to cause cancer, birth defects, reproductive disorders and other serious health effects." U.S. PIRG analyzed toxic chemical releases to major waterways, as reported by industries to the Community Right to Know Act's Toxics Release Inventory. The Toxics Release Inventory data accounts for only a small percentage of toxic chemical pollution released into the environment. Due to loopholes in the law, major sources of toxic pollution are shielded from the public view, including data on some of the most hazardous substances known to science, such as dioxins, lead, and mercury. Troubled Waters concludes that the total toxic chemical dumping in our waterways over the last five years may be many times greater than Toxics Release Inventory reports. Other major findings of the report include: The ten most polluted waterways were the Mississippi River, Ohio River, Brazos River, Connoquenessing Creek, Pacific Ocean, Houston Ship Channel, Savannah River, Tennessee River, Rock River, and Delaware River. More toxic chemicals were dumped into the Mississippi River than all other U.S. waters combined. For 74 percent of waterways, one polluter accounted for all reported toxic discharges to water during the five year period. The facilities directly releasing the most toxic chemicals were three fertilizer plants in Louisiana that released 450 million pounds of toxics into the Mississippi River--the IMC-Agrico Fertilizer Plant in St. James and Uncle Sam, and the PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer facility in Geismer. These were followed by BASF in Freeport, TX, Armco in Butler, PA, and Mobil Mining and Minerals in Pasadena, TX. "Millions of Americans rely on our waterways for drinking water sources, and swimming and fishing destinations. We have the right to clean, toxicfree lakes, rivers, and streams, and we have the right to know when polluters discharge toxic chemicals into our waterways. Without more complete information on the use and release of toxic chemicals, the public is left in the dark, and we cannot protect ourselves," said LaPlante. U.S. PIRG recommends the following actions to expand Right to Know as a first step toward reducing toxic pollution to our waterways: 1) Right to Know should be expanded to include information on how toxic chemicals are used in the workplace, transported through communities, and contained in consumer products. 2) Reporting thresholds should be set at zero for highly toxic substances such as lead, dioxin, and mercury to ensure reporting on the use and release of any quantity of these substances. 3) All significant sources of toxic pollution should report to the Toxics Release Inventory, including sewage treatment plants, medical and solid waste incinerators, and the oil and gas industry. 4) The Clean Water Act should be strengthened to require polluters to eliminate toxic discharges, prevent polluted runoff, and ensure strict compliance with the law. “While the polluters continue to dump millions of pounds of toxic chemicals into our waterways, Members of Congress are working to attach dozens of anti-environmental provisions to must-pass spending bills. Instead of working to weaken our environmental laws, we urge Congress to listen to the public’s demands for clean water and the right to know about toxic chemical use and pollution,” said LaPlante. "We urge President Clinton to use all existing legal authority to continue to expand the public's right to know about toxic chemicals, and we urge Members of Congress to support H.R. 1636 and S.769 that would fill in many important Right to Know reporting gaps,” said LaPlante. #### U.S. PIRG is the national office for the State Public Interest Research Groups. State PIRGs are nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental and consumer watchdog organizations. This report is available at our website http://www.pirg.org