The Power of Information
Head to www.epa.gov/tri, read the TRI Overview, and then find out about the toxic releases for several plants in your zip code, or one nearby. Do you find that the information is reported in an understandable form? Do you get any sense of the relative risk of exposure from the toxic releases reported? What has been happening to the reported releases over time? These data are self-reported by the companies. Do you trust its accuracy? If you were concerned about the health risk posed by the toxic releases in your neighborhood, what would you do about it?