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Pollutants In My Environment - An Introduction to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI)
Chapter 2: Where to find the information?
There are many sources of NPRI data. This document deals with the following:
- publications;
- resource persons;
- electronic tools.
Publications
Reports:
Once all facilities have reported, the data are compiled, analysed and formatted. They are then presented in an NPRI annual report, which provides an overview of the year's releases. Annual Reports are available for the years 1993 through 1998.
National Overview 1998
Provincial/Regional Fact Sheets:
Annually, each of the regional offices produce fact sheets showing key NPRI data for that region or province. They contain, for example, comparative analyses and success stories in a practical, easy-to-use format. Fact sheets are available from regional offices or can be downloaded and printed from the NPRI national web site.
Atlantic Region Fact Sheet
Sometimes, at the request of an organization or in the context of a special event, a region may issue a fact sheet for a specific area or industry. You can find out about and order existing fact sheets from regional NPRI offices, or you can download those versions that are print-ready from the national NPRI web site.
Resource persons
You can also contact members of the national NPRI team at one of 11 regional offices coast to coast. They will be able to help you find the tools that best meet your needs and show you how to use them. If you are looking for highly specific information, they can assist you in your research.
Environment Canada, National Pollutant Release Inventory
351 St-Joseph boul., 9th floor
Hull, Quebec K1A 0H3
Tel.: (819) 953-1656
Fax. (819) 994-3266
E-mail: npri@ec.gc.ca
Mount Pearl, Newfoundland A1N 4T3
Tel.: (709) 772-5488
Fax : (709) 772-5097
45 Alderney Drive, 16th floor
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6
Tel.: (902) 426-4482
Fax. (902) 426-8373
E-mail: npri_atl@ec.gc.ca
Montreal, Quebec H2Y 2E7
Tel.: (514) 283-7303
Fax. (514) 496-6982
E-mail: inrp_qc@ec.gc.ca
Downsview, Ontario M3H 5T4
Tel.: (416) 739-5886-0193 or
(416) 739-5890
Fax. (416) 739-4326 or
(416) 739-4251
E-mail: npri_ontario@ec.gc.ca
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4W2
Tel.: (204) 983-7788
Fax: (204) 983-0960
2365 Albert street
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4K1
Tel.: (306) 780-6001
Fax: (306) 780-6466
4999 - 98th street
Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3
Tel. : (780) 951-8726
(780) 951-8730
Fax : (780) 495-2615
E-mail : nancy.taschuk@ec.gc.ca
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3H7
Tel.: (604) 666-2588
Fax (604) 666-6800
E-mail: michael.deabreu@ec.gc.ca
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5B5
Tel.: (867) 667-3402
Fax: (867) 667-7962
E-mail: benoit.godin@ec.gc.ca
5204 - 50th avenue (Franklin)
Yellowknife, NWT X1A 2R2
Tel.: (867) 667-4727
Fax: (867) 873-8185
Environment Canada
Iqaluit, Nunavut
Tel.: (867) 979-3660
Fax: (867) 979-8608
Electronic tools
The most practical tool for finding information on NPRI is the national NPRI web site.
This site contains a wealth of information on the program and many documents that can be downloaded; it also allows for on-line searches. CD-Rom with the data There is a CD-Rom containing all NPRI databases, from 1994 to 1998. This CD-Rom can be obtained by contacting one of the regional offices. The database The national NPRI web site contains all information compiled for the inventory, ready for review or downloading from the database. All raw data is stored in .dbf format; you will need software such as Access or dBase and some knowledge of how to use databases to get the results you want. Regional sites Some regions have developed web sites to complement the national site; there you can find information specific to that region.
Internet searches
Once on the web site, you can query the database for specific information. The following example shows how an on-line search works and will help you execute your own searches. Select the search criteria Enter the name of the substance and of the province chosen (this limits the search and so speeds up the process):
Click on the "Search" button and you will see, for instance, a list of all the facilities in Quebec reporting methanol use:
In-depth Internet searches: two options At this stage, you have two options: you can either click on one of the facilities listed for more detailed information (option 1), or you can opt for an in-depth search on the substance itself (option 2). Option 1 For each facility, this is the screen you will see:
Other information on the facility: For any given facility, you can also find the following data:
- graphs showing releases of each substance;
- detailed information on the facility: addresses, contacts, etc.;
- multi-year reviews showing release trends;
- maps showing where facilities are located.
Information on pollutants released by a facility
If you click on one of the substance names reported by the facility, this is what you will see:
From this window, you can click on links to obtain either physical and chemical or toxicological data on the substance you have selected. These links take you to another Internet site where technical information on most known chemical substances, including those listed by NPRI, is stored.
Option 2
If you are mainly interested in information on a particular substance, you should take a slightly different approach: when you reach the screen below, click on CAS number for the information sought.
Clicking on this number takes you to the Internet site where technical data on most known chemical substances are compiled (www.chemfinder.com). This is the information you would obtain on methanol:
The site also has many links to other sites dealing with the same substance but from different perspectives.
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