Toronto implemented ChemTRAC, an environmental reporting and disclosure bylaw, to collect information on toxic chemicals from small and medium businesses. The bylaw requires annual reporting on 25 priority toxic substances. ChemTRAC fills information gaps by collecting data from non-NPRI facilities, and makes the facility-specific data publicly available online. The program aims to increase awareness, stimulate pollution prevention, and support business greening through reporting, disclosure, and technical assistance. Initially controversial, ChemTRAC is now successfully gathering new data on industrial toxic substance usage and releases in Toronto.

1. Toronto’s ChemTRAC
and the
Environmental
Reporting and
Disclosure Bylaw
Presentation to the
CEC’s NAPRTR Meeting
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
October 30, 2012
Marco A. Belmont, PhD
Toronto Public Health
mbelmon@toronto.ca

2. Welcome to Toronto!
• Toronto is Canada’s
largest city
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3. Some facts about Toronto
• 5th largest city in North
America
• Home to a diverse
population of about
2.6 million people.
“Toronno”
Source: www.cec.org
3

4. Some facts about Toronto
Important
Industrial
Activity
Source: www.cec.org 4

5. Some facts about Toronto
• Toronto is the economic engine of Canada,
and
• one of the greenest and most creative cities
in North America.
5

6. For the first time ever in
Canada….
• A municipality collects information about
toxic chemicals from small and medium-
size businesses through a bylaw
• Environmental Reporting
and Disclosure bylaw

7. Because …
• There are many small and medium-size
businesses that use and release toxic
chemicals in Toronto but do not report this
information to anybody
• Many small contribution of pollutants may
be as important as few large contributions

8. and …
• It is well known that
these pollutants are
harmful to human
health

9. We needed to know …
• We need to know the health impacts of
these pollutants
• The public demanded the „Right to Know‟

10. … to help drive change.
• Disclose information
• Change in industrial
practices
• Promote Pollution
Prevention

11. Voila! … Toronto’s ChemTRAC
and the
Environmental Reporting and
Disclosure Bylaw
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12. ChemTRAC Goal and Objectives
Goal:
• To protect health through reduced exposure to toxic
substances, particularly in the air
Objectives:
• Increase awareness by facilities of their use & release of
priority substances of health concern
• Collect information about hazardous substances used and
released in the community and provide public access to it
• Stimulate pollution prevention, such as through chemical
substitution and improved processes
• Support “greening” and growth of local businesses
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13. Key Program Components
• Mandatory reporting
– Bylaw that requires annual reporting of 25 priority substances
– Guidance documents, calculation tools, technical support
– Convenient web-based reporting system
https://secure.toronto.ca/ChemTRAC/welcome.do
• Public disclosure of data
– Website access to facility-specific data
http://app.toronto.ca/ctpd/findFacility.html
• Pollution prevention program
– Sector-specific guides, technical assistance, workshops
13

14. Environmental Reporting & Disclosure
Bylaw – Municipal Code 423
• Requires reporting on 25 substances (or
group of substances) of priority concern to
health
• Requires facilities that use or release one
or more of the priority substances to
report:
• on-site releases to air, water & land
• ‘use’ as manufactured, processed or
otherwise used
14

15. 25 Priority Substances
Acetaldehyde Formaldehyde
Acrolein Lead
Benzene Particulate Matter < 2.5 um (PM2.5)
1,3-butadiene Manganese
Cadmium Mercury
Carbon tetrachloride Nickel
Chloroform Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Chromium (hexavalent) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Chromium (non-hexavalent) Tetrachloroethylene
1,4-dichlorobenzene Trichloroethylene
1,2-dichloroethane Vinyl Chloride
Dichloromethane Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Ethylene dibromide
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16. Environmental Reporting & Disclosure
Bylaw – Municipal Code 423
• Reporting threshold set at about 1% of
current NPRI threshold to capture data
from small & medium sized facilities which
do not report
• Some reporting exemptions, similar to
NPRI
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17. Mass Reporting and de minimis
Concentration Thresholds
Mass Reporting de minimis
Chemical Name CAS No.
Threshold concentration
kg/yr % w/w
GROUP A
Acetaldehyde 75-07-0 100 1.0
Acrolein 107-02-8 100 1.0
Benzene 71-43-2 100 1.0
1,3-Butadiene 106-99-0 100 1.0
Carbon tetrachloride 56-23-5 100 1.0
Chloroform (Trichloromethane) 67-66-3 100 1.0
1
Chromium, Non-hexavalent - 100 1.0
1,2-Dibromo ethane (Ethylene dibromide) 106-93-4 100 1.0
1,4-Dichlorobenzene 106-46-7 100 1.0
1,2-Dichloroethane (Ethylene dichloride) 107-06-2 100 1.0
Dichloromethane (Methylene chloride) 75-09-2 100 1.0
Formaldehyde 50-00-0 100 1.0
1
Manganese 7439-96-5 10 1.0
1
Nickel 7440-02-0 100 1.0
Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethylene) 127-18-4 100 1.0
Trichloroethylene 079-01-6 100 1.0
Vinyl chloride 75-01-4 100 1.0
1
Cadmium 7440-43-9 1.0 0.1
1
Chromium, Hexavalent 7440-47-3 10 0.1
1
Lead 7439-92-1 10 0.1
1
Mercury 7439-97-6 1.0 0.0
GROUP B
3 4
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) - 10 n/a
GROUP C
2
NOx - 200 n/a 17
PM2.5 - 30 n/a
VOCs total - 100 n/a

18. At first, businesses didn’t like the
idea

19. Minimizing Burden on Industry
• Consultation with industries
on program implementation
• Resources for training and
education
• Estimating usage and releases
• Reporting
• Pollution Prevention
• Opportunities for economic
incentives
• Grants
• Awards 19

20. Now, ChemTRAC is collecting
new data on toxic substances!
20

21. Filling information Gaps in
Toronto
Point source releases:
• Most small- and medium-size
facilities are not required to report
• Majority of releases are to air for
all industrial sectors except
water/waste management, which
discharges to water
• About 85% of Toronto releases to
air not reported to NPRI
• Chronic exposure to mixture of
toxic substances from many
sources is of health concern
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22. New information collected …
15%
85%
NPRI Non-NPRI
• Of the 538 facilities that reported to ChemTRAC in 2011, only
82 facilities (15%) also reported to the federal government
NPRI 22

23. Public Disclosure of Data
• Provide web-based
public access to
facility-specific data
• Create annual reports
23

24. Disclosure of Data

25. Disclosure of Data

26. Stimulating Pollution Prevention
Reporting and Disclosure:
• Requires facilities to take the first step toward pollution
prevention – tracking what is used and emitted.
• Promotes community engagement – facilities and
residents have better information about hazardous
chemicals.
Success of similar programs:
• Increase review of processes for environmental, health
and safety impacts
• Reduce reported emissions
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27. Supports for facilities:
Pollution Prevention
• Pollution Prevention
guidance
– Sector-specific guides
to pollution prevention
– Technical assistance
and outreach
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28. Benefits of Access to Environmental
Information
• Reporting environmental data and making
information accessible benefits the
public, workers, businesses and the City
by:
– Stimulating innovation and pollution
prevention
– Reducing exposure to toxic substances
– Improving understanding of health and
environmental risks
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29. Know more about ChemTRAC
www.toronto.ca/chemtrac

30. Contact Information

31. Acknowledgements
The ChemTRAC Team:
• Carol Mee, Healthy Public Policy
• Dylan Dampier, Healthy Public Policy
• Julie Sommerfreund, Healthy Public Policy
• Rich Whate, Healthy Public Policy
• Yusuf Alam, Healthy Public Policy
• Marianne Kingsley, Healthy Public Policy
• Ronald Macfarlane, Healthy Public Policy
• Zia Islam, Healthy Public Policy
• Deanna Mendolia
• TPH‟s Legal, Web Services, Communications, and IT
• Toronto Env Office, Toronto Water, Economic Developmnt & Culture
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32. Questions?
Thank You!
Marco A. Belmont, PhD.
Environmental Health RC
Healthy Public Policy
Toronto Public Health
277 Victoria St. 7th Floor.
Toronto M5B 1W2
mbelmon@toronto.ca
416.338.6267
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