The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the automatic inclusion of nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). This addition is part of an ongoing effort to enhance transparency and accountability in line with the Biden-Harris Administration’s environmental justice commitments.
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Michal Freedhoff, stated, “EPA continues to make strides in getting information on PFAS into the Toxics Release Inventory so the public can see if these chemicals are being released into their communities.” Freedhoff emphasized that people have a right to know about toxic chemical releases in their vicinity.
The TRI data is reported annually by facilities in specific industry sectors and federal facilities that handle TRI-listed chemicals above certain quantities. This data includes information on chemical releases into the environment or waste management practices. The information is publicly accessible online, aiding decision-making by various stakeholders including companies, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the public.
These nine PFAS were added following guidelines set by the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which mandates automatic additions based on specified EPA activities involving PFAS. For Reporting Year 2025, with forms due by July 1, 2026, reporting will be required for these newly added substances. This brings the total number of PFAS subject to TRI reporting to 205.
Under NDAA provisions, PFAS are automatically added upon finalization of a toxicity value by EPA. These nine substances were included after such values were finalized during 2024 without any claims of confidential business information regarding their identities.
Additionally, one particular PFAS—Acetic acid [(γ-ω-perfluoro-C8-10-alkyl)thio] derivs., Bu esters—was previously not listed due to confidentiality claims but was declassified in May 2024 under updates to the Toxic Substances Control Act Inventory. Its identity no longer being confidential allowed its addition to the TRI list.
Facilities affected by these changes must begin tracking activities involving these PFAS as mandated by Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act starting January 1. All newly added PFAS are also subject to EPA's October 2023 action classifying them as chemicals of special concern, eliminating certain reporting exemptions previously available for small concentration uses.
