Living
Toxic Chemical Releases


Toxic Chemical Releases

What does this measure?

The pounds of toxic chemical releases per square mile in an area annually.

Why is this important?

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program tracks the industrial management of toxic chemicals that may cause harm to human health and the environment, providing a community the ability to discuss important environmental health concerns.

How is our county performing?

In 2018, there were 658 pounds per square mile of toxic chemical releases in Berks County. This was higher than the state (444) and the U.S. (103)

Compared to neighboring counties, Berks County's toxic releases were lower than Lancaster (1,700), Lehigh (8,390), and Montgomery (10,590) counties. They were higher than Chester (415) and Lebanon (100) counties.

Notes about the data

A "release" of a chemical means that it is emitted to the air or water, or placed in some type of land disposal. For more information regarding the toxic release inventory data: Factors to Consider When Using TRI Data. Data for this indicator are released annually in April.

There may be additional research available on this topic. Click on Reports and Resources to learn more.

Toxic Chemical Releases
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
United States320290282284233288290313298157171159149142121114104100103
Pennsylvania1,6891,3891,9191,5221,2931,1561,0669557601,167771772720658793652489460444
Berks County4,5342,9494,3683,2493,1012,0912,0361,8291,7041,3091,2681,2461,1038472,147660583626658
Berks County Regions
Central
Northeast
South
Southeast
West
Reading city
Berks County Peers
Chester County3,0521,31727,78123,18110,43911,4994,7643,2634,1224,148640395349444357400429473415
Lancaster County1,9321,0171,0143392288008088561,1644836387197049131,2381,9312,0041,8381,703
Lebanon County31942681,1661,7041,7442,0361,7872,0471,4281,592128119841188781113100
Lehigh County5701,6595855432,0607879833,1013,16714,9313,5468,4758,5278,42711,94213,30611,38110,5218,393
Montgomery County6,3828,2365,5425,9106,5986,3177,1015,7614,91042,17417,09922,50123,04223,14232,67015,92111,78510,92710,593
Schuylkill County1,039978982677165348205159112781179183888189162139173

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency




Total Toxic Chemical Releases
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018
United States1,131,852,8061,024,332,729994,373,9531,001,810,507823,956,6951,017,504,8621,022,722,2251,105,314,2001,053,492,127554,705,363603,927,001561,463,835526,584,394501,898,663427,223,022403,726,547367,088,164351,805,627362,338,365
Pennsylvania75,565,77862,145,32085,869,22868,104,54257,854,71451,709,94347,674,90942,727,13334,003,19952,215,48534,494,99334,550,75232,216,53329,419,35435,480,20229,152,84121,863,73820,559,94919,882,641
Berks County3,882,9382,525,8713,740,6452,782,1152,655,5871,790,7071,743,9901,566,4161,459,2041,121,1021,085,5141,067,242944,613725,0731,839,013564,941499,157536,512563,799
Berks County Regions
Central
Northeast
South
Southeast
West
Reading city
Berks County Peers
Chester County2,290,502988,23020,850,48117,398,3137,834,6068,630,1943,575,6612,449,0493,093,5483,112,894480,620296,594261,949333,218268,168300,402322,336355,240311,234
Lancaster County1,823,724959,804957,124319,938215,137755,059762,681808,4691,098,686455,444602,286678,724664,415861,9671,168,8551,822,9261,891,7151,734,7091,607,800
Lebanon County115,38315,32324,685422,040616,626630,907736,682646,490740,563516,702575,84146,27143,08330,53142,57831,38129,14040,92236,300
Lehigh County196,664572,904202,017187,619711,370271,806339,2981,070,8681,093,6915,155,7211,224,4852,926,2772,944,3002,909,7394,123,3514,594,5093,929,6653,632,9522,898,144
Montgomery County3,082,1873,977,6712,676,5722,854,1433,186,7673,050,9753,429,4282,782,2482,371,15620,368,7388,258,20110,867,05611,128,44511,177,02115,778,5767,689,3115,691,7865,277,4625,115,994
Schuylkill County809,303761,336764,784527,231128,701271,258159,259124,03587,54760,86791,10071,15464,37668,15663,18269,019125,756107,999134,562

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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INDICATORS TREND | BERKS COUNTY
Adults Who are Overweight or Obese Not Applicable
Students in K-6 Overweight or Obese Not Applicable
Students in 7-12 Overweight or Obese Not Applicable
Physically Inactive Adults Not Applicable
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch Increasing
Early Prenatal Care Increasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families Increasing
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth Decreasing
Live Births to Teen Mothers Decreasing
Population by Age Not Applicable
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Maintaining
Change in Population by Age and Gender Not Applicable
Change in Total Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households by type Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Seniors Living Alone Maintaining
Language Diversity Increasing
Unemployment Rate Increasing
Change in Labor Force Decreasing
Employment to Population ratio Decreasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Not Applicable
Sector Share of Total Jobs Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County/Region for Work Not Applicable
Public Assistance Maintaining
Spending for Local Governments Maintaining
Spending for Counties Maintaining
Spending for School Districts Maintaining
Prekindergarten Participation Increasing
English Language Learners Increasing
Students Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Per Student Spending Maintaining
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Brain Drain/Gain Maintaining
Plans of High School Graduates Not Applicable
Enrollment in Local Colleges Decreasing
Median Household Income Maintaining
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Living Wage Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Increasing
Working Poor Maintaining
People Receiving Federal Food Assistance Increasing
People Receiving Supplemental Security Income Increasing
Health Status Not Applicable
People Enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care Increasing
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Vacant Housing Units Increasing
Homeownership Rates Decreasing
Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Cost of Homeownership, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Cost of Rent Increasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Family Home Sales Increasing
Median Single-Family Home Sale Price Maintaining
Tourism Spending Maintaining
Voter Registration Rate Decreasing
Voter Participation Rate Decreasing
Average Charitable Giving Maintaining
Contributions as a Percentage of Income Maintaining
Households With Internet Access Not Applicable
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments Maintaining
Toxic Chemical Releases Decreasing
Violent Crimes Maintaining
Property Crimes Decreasing
Incarceration Rates Maintaining
Drug Abuse Offenses Increasing
Drug Abuse Arrests Increasing
Protection from Domestic Abuse Maintaining
Average Travel Time to Work Increasing
Crashes Involving Alcohol Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles Decreasing


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