Informing Canadians on Pollution

• About the National Pollutant Release Inventory
• More Comprehensive Pollution Information
• What's Happening in Your Community?
• What is Pollutant Release Information Being Used For?
• What Do I Need to Know Before Using the NPRI Information?
• Where Can I Go for More Information?
• Contact Us

About the National Pollutant Release Inventory

Canadians value their environment and their health and they expect relevant and reliable information about pollution taking place in their country. Environment Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) provides information on pollutants released to the environment, disposed of and recycled (off-site) by companies and other organizations in Canada.

Thousands of industrial and commercial facilities report pollution information to Environment Canada through the NPRI. This reporting is required each year under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 for facilities that meet certain criteria, such as the amount of a pollutant they manufacture or release. In turn, Environment Canada is required to provide the public with access to the information it has gathered.  For 2004, more than 300 different pollutants were listed on the NPRI and more than 8000 facilities submitted reports.

The NPRI can help to identify potential environmental and health risks from pollution, to examine the environmental performance of facilities and communities, and to gain important information to develop environmental and emergency plans.

More Comprehensive Pollution Information

Since its establishment in 1992, the NPRI has been expanded to provide Canadians and governments with more comprehensive information on pollution in Canada. For example, thresholds (limits) at which pollutants must be reported have been reduced, and the number of pollutants listed on the NPRI has nearly doubled. As well, the NPRI now includes information on pollution prevention practices.

Over the years, there have been increases in both the number of facilities and the amounts of pollutants being reported to the NPRI. (Graph 1). Reasons for these increases include changes in the thresholds (limits) at which pollutants must be reported, the addition of pollutants to the NPRI list, changes in production levels, and process and technology changes.

For example, when criteria air contaminants (the pollutants that contribute to poor air quality) were added to the list of NPRI substances for the 2002 reporting year, total pollutant releases reported to the NPRI increased more than 20 times, compared to the previous year. (Graph 1).

Graph 1. Total Pollutant Releases Reported (all facilities, 1995-2004)

Graph 1 shows that pollution appears to be increasing in Canada. However, this is because more facilities are reporting more pollutants to the inventory. In order to fairly assess the longer term changes in the pollutant releases from 1995 to 2004, a subset of data was created including only facilities and substances that were not affected by changes to the NPRI reporting requirements and that reported consistently for the entire period. The data set contains 725 facilities and 93 substances. The analysis of this data shows a 27% decrease in pollutant releases for this 10 year period (Graph 2).

Graph 2. Trend in Pollutant Releases from Long-term Reporting Facilities (1995-2004)

What’s Happening in Your Community?

Facilities that report to the NPRI are located in every province and territory across Canada. Figure 1 shows the location of facilities, based on the NPRI reports submitted for 2004. Approximately two-thirds were located in Alberta and Ontario. Nearly 90 per cent of the facilities in Alberta are from industries related to the extraction, processing and distribution of oil and gas, while those in Ontario are from many different industrial and commercial sectors.

Figure 1. Location of Facilities Reporting to the NPRI in 2004

Table 1.  Number of Facilities per Province/Territory Reporting to the NPRI in 2004

What is Pollutant Release Information Being Used For?

We can make better decisions to help achieve a sustainable environment and a competitive economy by knowing more about the sources, types and quantities of pollution in our communities. The NPRI covers more than 100 sectors of industrial and commercial activity in Canada and is therefore a major starting point for information about pollution in Canada.

The NPRI can be used in a number of ways:

• by governments to identify, track and take action on pollutant releases that affect our natural environment, health and economic competitiveness;.
• by businesses and financial markets to identify potential business opportunities (e.g. new technologies) and investment risks; to measure the relative impacts of specific industries, companies and facilities on the environment; and to report on environmental performance to consumers and investors; and
• by interested citizens and groups who want to answer questions and influence the environmental performance of companies and governments on the pollution in their communities.

What Do I Need to Know Before Using the NPRI Information?

The NPRI provides a great deal of data and information, so it is a good idea to know the following:

• Not all pollutants are equally hazardous.  Whether or not a pollutant release poses a risk to humans or to the environment depends on many factors, including: whether the pollutant is released to air, land or water; if and how much it is broken down in the environment; the resulting amount and type of exposure for people and other organisms; and the pollutant’s ability to cause harm to human health and the environment.  Environment Canada and Health Canada continue to assess the health and environmental risks of new and existing substances.
• The NPRI only includes facilities that meet reporting requirements. Other sources of pollution, such as individuals, households, other industrial or commercial sectors, natural phenomena (such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires), are not included in the NPRI.  Some pollution is also generated from other countries.  This is known as transboundary pollution, and it is a key source of smog-forming pollutants and other air pollution in some areas of Canada.
• Some substances of concern are not reported to the NPRI.  For example, the Government of Canada regulates pesticides and tracks emissions of greenhouse gases in Canada through other programs.
• From year to year, facilities may report different amounts of pollutants that they release, dispose of or recycle.  This can occur for a number of reasons, ranging from new reporting requirements to changing production levels at a facility. It may also be updated from time to time as new or more up-to-date information is received and reviewed. 

Where Can I Go for More Information?

Visit the Communities Portal Web site at www.ec.gc.ca/npri/communities for easy access to pollution information.
The NPRI Communities Portal Web site has search tools that let you search for facility pollutant reports by community name, postal code, type of pollutant, health and environmental issues or a company name. The online maps show where facilities are located, and there are tips and ideas on how to take action in your community. There is also information about how pollution affects our health and the environment, what industry and governments are doing, and special features on current issues.

Contact Us

Do you have questions about this report or need more information about its contents? If so, please contact us:

E-mail: npricomm@ec.gc.ca
Tel.: 1 800 668-6767
Fax: 819-994-1412
Web site: www.ec.gc.ca/npri/communities