The annual federal report on toxic material emissions from industrial sites across the country gains widespread media attention and serves as a reminder of the potential environmental impacts of industrial activities.
The annual federal report on toxic material emissions from industrial sites across the country gains widespread media attention and serves as a reminder of the potential environmental impacts of industrial activities.
But a team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology wondered whether federal regulators can persuade companies to abandon toxic chemicals by simply highlighting that information.
The answer appears to be yes, according to a study they published May 17 in the journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. The researchers cross-referenced federal reports on emissions of toxic chemicals with another report that ranks the relative dangers of hundreds of chemicals.
“We found that by simply providing the information, governmental agencies can influence the actions of facilities and can encourage companies to reduce emissions at their facilities,” said Basak Kalkanci, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business.
Every two years, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry publishes the Substance Priority List, which ranks 275 substances that are a threat to human health. The rankings take into account both the relative toxicity of the chemicals as well as how likely they are to come into contact with humans. Chemicals such as arsenic, lead and mercury top the list.
Read more at Georgia Institute of Technology
Image Credit: Georgia Institute of Technology
