Atlanta, GA, May 7—DuPont decreased its releases to air, water, land and underground injection wells by 12 percent in 2001 versus 2000, according to data provided to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).
The decrease was due primarily to reducing air emissions at the source and reducing nitrate compounds in wastewater discharges.
"Reducing our environmental footprint is an essential component of our strategy to achieve sustainable growth," said Paul Tebo, vice president of safety, health and environment. "While we are pleased to note the progress we are making, it is important to know that we remain focused on our goal of zero waste and emissions."
Since 1987, DuPont has reduced its releases by 79 percent, even though production increased by more than 35 percent. Some 286 new compounds were added to the EPA's TRI reporting list in 1995.
DuPont reported releases and transfers of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) compounds for the second consecutive year in 2001 under an EPA requirement to report these compounds of concern at much lower threshold values. These include 104 kg. of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds (D&DLC) (up from 64 kg. in 2000), 5,800 lbs. of Hexachlorobenzene (down from 7000 lbs. in 2000) and 380 lbs. of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (down from 530 lbs. in 2000).
The increase in D&DLC was due to the cleanout of a storage tank and does not represent an increase in the generation of D&DLC. Some 99.9 percent of D&DLC, more than 98 percent of Hexachlorobenzene and more than 99 percent of PCBs, were placed securely in landfills. The small remaining quantity of these compounds was released to air or water. The company is committed to reducing PBTs in its operations and waste, and has targeted a 90 percent reduction of D&DLC by the end of the year 2007.
