Hazardous substance releases pose a wide range of health risks to humans and the environment. Hazardous substance releases can cause considerable damage to the environment, such as contaminating water supplies, or harm human health, such as being exposed to toxic vapors. Areas that are highly contaminated with multiple contaminants can require millions of dollars and take years to properly clean up. After a site cleanup, the area must be reviewed to ensure there is no lingering public health risk.

Hazardous releases may occur in any number of ways, such as leaks and spills, vapor emission, and intentional dumping. Different substances impact health in different ways. A hazardous substance release may be biological, chemical, poisonous, radiological, flammable, explosive, or corrosive.

Hazardous substance releases can occur at any time and in any place. Therefore, wherever the release takes place puts the population in the vicinity at risk. People who must have close contact with the substance, such as those who maintain or transport it, as well as clean up crews, have a higher risk of being exposed.

Due to the complex health implications of hazardous substance releases, it is imperative that all hazardous substances be properly handled, stored, and transported. When this does not occur, the risk of a substance release increases. Companies, communities, and individuals can prepare themselves for spills by preparing beforehand. Personal protection training (HazMat), emergency communication, and emergency response (HAZWOPER), risk assessments, and equipment maintenance are all part of preventing, responding, and controlling hazardous substance releases. Regularly monitoring hazardous substance release data will allow Utah to:

Reduce injuries and death of first responders, employees, and the general public from toxic substance incidents

Describe the distribution of toxic substance incidents

Describe the injury and death experienced by first responders, employees, and the general public

Identify risk factors associated with the injury and death

Develop strategies to reduce subsequent injuries and deaths

Promote green chemistry

Fact Sheets and Pamphlets (PDF)

• Anhydrous Ammonia
• Bleach
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Common Cleaning Products Can Be Dangerous Mixed
• Decontamination of Patients

Resources

• Methampetamine information page - Utah Department of Health
• Emergency Response - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• EJSCREEN Tool - EJSCREEN is a mapping tool provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It combines environmental and demographic information about environmental justice topics. Relevant to hazardous substance releases, EJSCREEN provides data on 3 topics:
• Count of RMP (potential chemical accident management plan) facilities within 5 km (or nearest one beyond 5 km)
• Count of TSDFs (hazardous waste management facilities) within 5 km (or nearest beyond 5 km)
• Count of proposed or listed NPL (also known as superfund) sites within 5 km (or nearest one beyond 5 km)
• Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool (C-FERST) - C-FERST is a tool provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that helps communities learn about environmental issues and risks. Topics include air quality, air toxics assessment, air pollutant emissions inventory, water discharge sites, water quality inventory report, NPL (Superfund) sites, and more. It also includes data on demographics, schools, and political boundaries.

Program Websites

• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) - home page
• U.S. Chemical Safety Board
• National Toxicology Program - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Response Center - United States Coast Guard
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Hazmat Safety home page - Department of Transportation

Hazardous Substance Releases

• Number of Hazardous Substance Releases, by County, by Year
• Total Number of Hazardous Substance Releases, by Year
• Number of Victims of Hazardous Substance Releases by Substance Category

Utah Hazardous Substance Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Reports

• 2009 Report
• 2008 Report
• 2007 Report
• 2006 Report
• 2005 Report
• 2004 Report
• 2002-2003 Report
• 2000-2001 Report

ATSDR Annual and Cumulative HSEES Reports

• National Reports, 1993-2009

Hazardous Substance Release Query Module

• National Toxic Substance Incidents - includes Count of Substances and Victims

Click here to view all available public queries and metadata for all secure portal queries.

The Utah EPHT Network receives hazardous substance release data from the National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP) system. NTSIP actively collects information to describe the public health consequences of acute (less than 72 hours) releases of hazardous substances in participating states. This indicator summarizes the characteristics of events reported in Utah.

The Utah NTSIP collects and analyzes information from many resources related to spills and leaks of toxic substances. Utah NTSIP tracks toxic substance releases occurring in the state to reduce the number of incidents and to assist experts in planning their activities when a release does occur. NTSIP data provides needed information to create prevention activities, which can decrease harm caused by toxic substance incidents. Knowing what kinds of toxic substances commonly exist in Utah, how and where they are released, and the effects they have on employees, responders, and the general public will create opportunities of improved policies, procedures, and training for a cleaner, safer environment. NTSIP is modelled after the Hazardous Substance Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Program (1990-2009). This change reflects a more comprehensive approach to reducing risks from toxic substances.

The Utah NTSIP collects the following data for each toxic substance release: time; date; day of the week; location; type of event (fixed-facility or transportation); factors contributing to the release; specific information on those injured (age, sex, extent of injuries, distance from spill, population group, and type of personal protective equipment used); information about decontamination and orders to evacuate or shelter-in-place; land use and population information to estimate the number of people at home or work who were potentially exposed; and, who responded to the incident.

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