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TRI Photo Storybook

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) fotonovela is an introduction to TRI that EPA produced as part of the TRI Community Engagement Initiative. It reflects input provided by residents of Jurupa Valley, California. A fotonovela is a small pamphlet that uses photographs and dialogue bubbles to depict a story in Spanish.

TRI Photo Storybook (pdf) (9.62 MB, 10/2024)

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A playground and sport fields abutting a grouping of buildings with smokestacks.

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The Diaz Family and Neighbors.

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Brothers Julio and Johnny kick a soccer ball together while walking with their father, Cesar, in the park.

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Rosie, the boy’s mother, congratulates them on their game. Julio says “Thanks, it was a hard game. I’m pretty hungry now!”

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Rosie says, “Don’t worry, Julio, we have lots of food here for you and your team.” Julio asks, “Hey, Mom?” Rosie responds “Yes, Julio?”

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Julio, pointing, asks Rosie, “Who lives there? That’s the biggest chimney I have ever seen!”

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Johnny says, “That’s not a house, silly. It’s a factory.” Julio asks Johnny, “Why does a factory need a chimney?”

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Cesar explains, “It’s called a smokestack, son. Smoke, steam, or even toxic chemicals can come out of smokestacks and go up into the air.” Dolores asks, “Rosie, do you wonder what’s coming out of that smokestack?”

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Rosie responds, “Yes, because this soccer field is so close to it, and I worry about the kids. I wish there was something I could do to learn more about that factory and other ones around here, but I don’t know where to start.”

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Dolores says, “It seems like we should have the right to know about toxic chemicals coming out of factories in our neighborhood”.

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Miguel says “Hi, how is everybody? You know, I work at that factory! There is a law that says that certain factories must tell us about how much pollution they are creating. They must also tell us about what types of chemicals they are producing and sendi

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Julio says, “But I don’t see any smoke coming out of that smokestack.”

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Miguel says, “You don’t have to see smoke. Some chemicals come out as fumes that you can’t see ...and others come out and spread into the water and onto land.”

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Rosie asks, “But how can we find out about the toxic chemicals that come out of the factory?” Miguel: “From a website run by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called TRI! TRI stands for “Toxics Release Inventory.” Congress created the TRI in the

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Miguel says, “I can show you on my smartphone right here. You can look it up on a computer too.”

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Miguel's phone is open to the EPA website, he explains, 'Look, all I do is type in www.epa.gov/tri, scroll to the bottom and then type in our street address, and we'll see which factories around here reported toxic chemical releases.' Rosie says, 'Wow!'

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Julio asks, “What does it say, Mom?” Rosie answers “Well, it says here the factory released 800 pounds of one chemical to the air and 450 pounds of another chemical into the water.”

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Miguel explains, “There are lots of environmental laws that factories must follow to control their toxic chemical releases and to protect the environment.”

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Miguel says, “It shows here on my smartphone what EPA is doing to make sure that factories are following the law. Even if a factory is doing what the law says it has to do, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t ask questions. We can work with our neighbors

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, Julio asks Miguel, “Why does the factory use all those chemicals in the first place?” Miguel answers, “Factories use chemicals to make cars, refrigerators, computers, and other things that we use every day.”

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Lupe asks, “Miguel, won’t those chemicals make the kids sick?” Miguel responds, “Well, TRI tells us a lot about chemicals that come out of many factories. This is very important. But, it can’t tell us if those chemicals enter our bodies or cause health p

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“The TRI website at www.epa.gov/tri can point you to where you can learn more about toxic chemicals, pollution and human health.” Lupe asks, “How come I don’t see anything about all the smelly trucks passing by here when I look up TRI information?”

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Miguel responds, “TRI doesn’t cover all types of pollution. You won’t find information in TRI, for example, about pollution from cars and trucks, gas stations, and lead paint in homes. But TRI can help us find out a lot about pollution from many factor”

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Rosie says, “Thanks, Miguel. I’m going to use a computer at the library to learn more about this.” Johnny adds, “We can talk to my science teacher too. She knows a lot about environmental issues and she runs an environmental group in town.”

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“Carla at the health department is also very helpful, and she knows lots of people at other local and state agencies who can help answer your questions.” Julio says, “Yes, having this information is so important. And it’s our RIGHT TO KNOW!”

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Lupe agrees and jokes, “It’s also my right to eat! Ok, everybody, let’s have lunch. Our food is getting cold!!!”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Get general TRI Program information: www.epa.gov/tri
Get TRI information for communities: www.epa.gov/tri/communities
Contact your EPA regional TRI Coordinator: www.epa.gov/tri/tri-regional-coordinators
Email TRI Program staff at EPA: tri.help@epa.gov

Use this link to report a suspected violation of environmental laws and regulations: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations

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