Important Aspects of Right-to-Know Legislation Not Being Used by Communities, Say Tufts Researchers.

FREEDOM of information; EMERGENCY management laws; CHEMICALS; COMMITTEES; MASS media

The article presents findings of a study on the right-to-know aspects of the 1986 federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act in the U.S. According to researchers at Tufts University's Center for Environmental Management, although communities can obtain specific information about the manufacture, use, storage, transportation and emission of toxic chemicals within their borders, local planning committees generally have not been using such information to prevent pollution or reduce risks. They identified specific problems and made recommendations on how to improve the implementation of the community right-to-know provisions, such as the role of the media in making risk information accessible to the public.