TOXMAP can create several types of maps:

• TRI Facilities Maps
• TRI Chemical Releases Maps
• TRI Chemical Trends Maps
• Superfund Maps
• TOXNET® Search Maps
• Combination Maps

TRI Facilities Maps

TOXMAP's "TRI Facilities" maps show all facilities that have reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (http://www.epa.gov/tri/) program.

Federal law requires certain industrial facilities which manufacture, process, or otherwise use particular toxic chemicals in amounts exceeding specific threshold values, to report annually on their releases of these chemicals to the environment or transferred off-site to be processed as waste. Information about source reduction and recycling is also reported. The label above the TOXMAP map notes the TRI year represented.

Each TOXMAP TRI facility location is represented with a small white square and is mapped using coordinates from the EPA's Facility Registry System (FRS).

The "TRI facility details" link to the right of the map provides additional information about each facility. If a TRI facility (identified by its TRI Facility ID) has a name change between TRI years, the most recent name is displayed in TOXMAP.

To create a facilities map, enter search terms (excluding chemical name) in the TOXMAP "Quick Search" box (to the left of the home page map) with the "TRI" checkbox checked. Alternatively, select the TOXMAP "TRI Facilities" tab and then move the map to the desired area.

TRI Chemical Releases Maps

TOXMAP's "TRI Releases" maps show color-coded maps for reported on-site TRI chemical releases. Each release is represented with a colored circle indicating the amount of total on-site release in a single calendar year. The location is mapped using coordinates from the EPA's Facility Registry System (FRS). The color of the circle represents the amount of on-site release relative to all other such releases nationwide (based on the search criteria). The releases map legend provides details.

To create a releases map, enter search terms (including chemical name) in the TOXMAP "Quick Search" box (to the left of the home page map) with the "TRI" checkbox checked. Alternatively, select the TOXMAP "TRI Releases" tab, select a chemical on the "Search" page, optionally choose the year, and move the map to the desired area.

Additional information about each facility and release can be found by clicking the "TRI on-site release details" link to the right of the map. If a single facility (identified by its TRI Facility ID) has a name change between TRI years, the most recent name is displayed in TOXMAP.

Maps can show on-site releases of a single chemical in a single year, or releases identified by a search in NLM's TOXNET Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The criteria available in TOXNET TRI allow for customized TOXMAP chemical releases maps. For example, a map could show on-site TRI chemical releases for a particular Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code in a particular ZIP code.

TRI Chemical Trends Maps

TOXMAP's "TRI Trends" maps show changes in reported on-site TRI release amounts for a chosen chemical.

At this time, TOXMAP's trend calculation does not account for changes to the TRI program's release or waste management data. Therefore, an apparent increase or decrease in on-site releases may actually reflect a change in TRI chemical reporting requirements. We intend to change TOXMAP to take some or all of these reporting requirement changes into account in an upcoming version of TOXMAP.

The "trend," or "chemical on-site release amount change" for a given facility and chemical, is calculated by comparing the total on-site release amount for the most recent year of TRI data in TOXMAP to the average of all previous years. The TOXMAP FAQ "How are TRI trends calculated?" provides additional details about this calculation.

Each trend is represented with a colored triangle indicating the degree of change in total on-site release amount and is mapped using coordinates from the EPA's Facility Registry System (FRS). Upward trends are represented with an upright triangle, downward trends with a triangle pointing downward. The color of the triangle represents the amount of change relative to all other changes nationwide of the same chemical. The trends map legend provides details.

Additional information about each facility and trend can be found by clicking the "TRI facility details" link. If a single facility (identified by its TRI Facility ID) has a name change between TRI years, the most recent name is displayed in TOXMAP.

To create a trends map, click the TOXMAP "TRI Trends" tab, and then select or enter a chemical name on the "Search" page, and move the map to the desired area.

TOXNET® TRI Search Results Maps

TOXMAP maps can also be created from TOXNET (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/) TRI search results.

Select TRI (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?TRI) from the TOXNET database menu, search chemical name, CAS Registry Number, TRI data year, and/or details about the releases or releasing facility. Your TRI search results can be mapped with TOXMAP by clicking on the "Map it with TOXMAP" icon located on the upper right of the results page/s.

NOTE: At this time, TOXMAP shows reported on-site releases only; it does not show transfers off-site or those managed via waste reduction. Also, TOXMAP Chemical Releases maps do not show Form A (short form) submissions (http://tri.supportportal.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=22811), because Form A release amounts vary. Consequently, the number of results in TOXNET might not match the number of releases mapped in TOXMAP.

Superfund Maps

TOXMAP's "Superfund" maps show sites which have been identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Superfund Program (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/index.htm).

The EPA Superfund Program is part of a federal government effort to clean up land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and that has been identified by the EPA (http://www.epa.gov/) as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or to the environment.

Each Superfund site location is represented with a small red square (indicating its Status on the National Priorities List (NPL) and is mapped using coordinates from the EPA's Facility Registry System (FRS).

The "Superfund site details" link provides additional information about each Superfund site.

To create a Superfund site map, enter search terms in the TOXMAP "Quick Search" box (to the left of the home page map) with the "Superfund NPL" checkbox checked. Alternatively, select the TOXMAP "Superfund" tab and then move the map to the desired area. Click the "Search" subtab or the "Search a chemical" link to show only those sites containing a specific chemical.

Combination Maps

TOXMAP allows users to create maps that combine both TRI and Superfund data. The "Combo" tab lets users select specific TOXMAP datasets to be mapped (e.g. TRI facilities, TRI on-site chemical releases, TRI chemical release trends, Superfund sites on the National Priorities List (NPL), and demographic data).

Examples of Combination maps include:

• A TRI facilities and Superfund sites map shows both all facilities that have reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (http://www.epa.gov/tri/) program and all sites (of a given NPL Status) that have been identified by the EPA's Superfund Program (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/index.htm). The "TRI facility details" link provides additional information about each TRI facility. Likewise, the "Superfund site details" link provides additional information about each Superfund site.
  
  
• A Chemical releases map shows color-coded maps for reported on-site TRI releases of a specified chemical, and Superfund sites that contain that same chemical according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s CERCLIS database. A list of the TRI chemicals in TOXMAP can be found at http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/chemicals.jsp. A list of the Superfund chemicals in TOXMAP can be found at http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/sfChemicals.jsp).
  
  
• A Superfund sites and TRI chemical release trends map shows locations of Superfund sites and changes in reported on-site release amounts for a chosen TOXMAP TRI chemical.

Demographic Data

Many types of demographic data can be overlaid on any TOXMAP map. Available demographic layers include US population, age group, and race (US Census 2000, 1990); per capita personal income (1988-2003); cancer mortality (1970-1994); and mortality from various causes (1988-1992).

Geographic Region

Once a geographic region has been chosen, all TOXMAP maps show TRI and Superfund results only inside the specified region. Other map data (such as roads, political boundaries, and demographic data) are visually muted on the map. TOXMAP provides many pre-defined geographic regions, or users can create and name their own regions.