Toxic Release Inventory facilities and what's in the air
Source: EPA FRS TRI · EPA
73,333 reporting facilities. Wind direction is half the story.
What it is
The federal record
TRI facilities are industrial sites that report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land under federal disclosure law. The EPA tracks 73,333 of them. The primary pathway from a TRI facility to a garden is airborne deposition — chemicals released to air settle on soil and plant surfaces, following Gaussian plume dispersion patterns. Risk is strongly wind-direction dependent: a parcel downwind of an active facility faces meaningfully higher exposure than one upwind or crosswind. TRI is one of the few datasets where geometry alone misses the most important variable.
Key facts
At a glance
Reporting facilities
73,333
EPA FRS TRI
Analysis radius
6 mi
Growable Ground
Primary pathway
Airborne
EPA TRI
Why it isn't a verdict
The constructive read
Crop selection becomes the most powerful lever once a TRI facility is in the picture. Leafy greens accumulate the most because their broad surfaces catch deposition; fruiting crops with peelable skins (tomatoes, peppers, squash) carry far less; tree fruits, elevated and protected by bark, accumulate the least. Washing helps. Row covers help more. And not every TRI release poses equal risk — the specific chemicals reported vary widely from facility to facility, and the EPA's TRI Explorer makes the full list public. The data lets you read the risk, not just react to it.
What to do
The playbook
Check prevailing wind direction first — it tells you whether your land is in a deposition path or out of it. Look up the facility in the EPA TRI Explorer to see which chemicals are reported and at what scale; some releases pose no garden risk at all. Wash all produce thoroughly, especially leafy greens. For high-exposure parcels, lean toward fruiting crops and tree fruits over leafy greens, and consider row covers or hoop houses to reduce deposition during the growing season. The combination of wind, chemical mix, and crop choice gives a reading the proximity number alone never can.
Mitigation steps
Concrete moves, in order
- 1Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.
- 2Wash all produce thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near TRI facilities.
- 3Consider crop selection: fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers) over leafy greens (lettuce, kale) in high-exposure areas.
- 4Review specific chemicals released via EPA TRI Explorer — not all releases pose equal risk to gardens.
- 5Row covers and hoop houses can reduce airborne deposition on crops.
Frequently asked questions
What does Toxic Release Inventory mean?
It's the EPA's federal disclosure registry of industrial facilities that release toxic chemicals to air, water, or land above reporting thresholds. Each facility reports the specific chemicals and amounts annually, all publicly searchable through the EPA's TRI Explorer.
Does wind direction really matter?
Yes — significantly. Airborne deposition follows Gaussian plume dispersion, meaning concentrations are highest directly downwind and drop sharply outside the plume cone. The platform incorporates prevailing wind data to flag high-exposure parcels.
Are leafy greens really riskier than tomatoes near a TRI site?
Yes. Leafy greens have a high surface-area-to-mass ratio and capture airborne deposition directly on the eaten part of the plant. Fruiting crops with peelable skins keep deposition on the surface, where washing removes most of it.
See what's near your land
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