Chapter 1: Description of the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI)
The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) was established in 1992 to provide a national, publicly accessible database of pollutants released into the Canadian environment. Each year, releases and transfers of pollutants from facilities nation-wide are reported.
The program's main objectives are to:
- inform the public;
- encourage voluntary reduction and monitor progress;
- set priorities for action.
Almost 2 000 facilities across Canada report to the NPRI on a yearly basis.
Any person who owns or operates a facility must submit an NPRI report for the substances listed only if all three of the following criteria are met:
- employees worked a total of 20 000 hours or more during the year, which is equivalent to 10 full-time employees, and
- the facility manufactured, processed or otherwise used 10 tonnes (10 000 kg) or more of an NPRI substance in the calendar year, and
- the NPRI substance was manufactured, processed or otherwise used at a concentration greater than or equal to 1% by weight, with the exception of NPRI substances considered to be by-products. The total weight of by-products must also be included in the calculation of the 10-tonne threshold of each NPRI substance.
Beginning with the year 2000, the reporting threshold for some substances, such as toxic micropollutants, has been lowered to ensure that releases of the substances are reported to the NPRI.
For the 2000 reporting year, there were 268 substances on the NPRI list, including 55 considered to be carcinogenic (as defined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer) and/or toxic (under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act).
A complete list of the substances is available on the NPRI national web site.
Throughout this document, you will notice that certain terms are regularly used. In order to facilitate your understanding of the text, here are the main terms related to the NPRI, with a brief description for each of them: