Frequently Asked Questions

Does a facility near my home mean the air or water is unsafe?

No. A registered facility is a place that reports to the EPA — it is not a measurement of pollution you are exposed to. We report strictly factual records: how many facilities are registered, which have documented violations, and where Superfund sites are. Whether any of that affects a specific address is a question for local environmental and public-health authorities.

Where does the data come from?

Facility listings come from the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. Violation and compliance status come from EPA ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online). Superfund sites come from the EPA Superfund Enterprise Management System, National Priorities List. Reported release quantities come from the EPA TRI Basic Data File.

A violation is listed for a facility — is it still a violation?

Not necessarily. EPA records carry a status and dates. A violation that has since been resolved still appears in the history. We show the status EPA publishes; we do not present resolved records as current problems.

What do the 'toxic release' pounds mean?

They are the amounts facilities reported releasing to air, water and land for a given year, from the EPA Toxics Release Inventory. They are not a measure of concentration, exposure or health risk, and different chemicals are not equally harmful per pound.

How do you decide which county a facility is in?

The EPA provides a county code for most facilities. For the roughly 6% without one, we place the facility using its coordinates and official county boundaries. Both methods are described on the About the Data page.

Is EcoCheckUSA affiliated with the EPA?

No. It is an independent reference site built on public EPA data and is not endorsed by or affiliated with the EPA.

More on sources and how we place facilities: About the Data.