“It is important for all citizens to know which companies are operating in their community, what toxic substances they are releasing, and how they can impact human health and the environment. At Fronteras Comunes we work with Mexican communities impacted by industrial activity and use the CEC’s PRTR information constantly.” 

- Marisa Jacott, Director, Fronteras Comunes, Mexico

In March 1994, the Louisiana public learned that ethylene dichloride (EDC), a known potential carcinogen, was leaking from a pipeline in the community of Lake Charles. By that time, millions of pounds of EDC had escaped. It is considered one of the largest chemical spills in US history.

Because chemicals play an important role in all industries, they need to be monitored and carefully managed to protect human health and the environment.

In March 2012, the CEC’s North American PRTR project released a major update of pollution data reported by industrial facilities in Canada, Mexico and the US.

The CEC’s revamped online tool—Taking Stock Online—is a searchable database that covers more than 500 pollutants and almost 100 major industrial sectors reporting to the pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) of the three North American countries.

Taking Stock allows communities, companies, and the public to track the release and transfer of pollutants. Companies can use Taking Stock as a tool to evaluate their environmental performance and compare it with other similar companies, while the public can use it to investigate which chemicals are being released by industrial facilities in their communities.

Among other features, Taking Stock Online allows users to:

• Explore data on pollutant releases and transfers of a variety of pollutants, from a range of sectors—in one or more country, as well as across borders;
• Track year-to-year changes in reporting and waste management practices;
• Generate data reports in a variety of formats, including pie charts and spreadsheets;
• Create maps and view them using Google Earth;
• Analyze PRTR data with respect to geospatial information, such as watersheds, rivers and lakes, and population centers, using data from the CEC’s North American Environmental Atlas.

For more information, visit www.cec.org/takingstock.