North Carolina’s industrial facilities emit or discharge an average of more than a half-ton of pollution per square mile, which places the state among the top third nationwide based on that measurement.

With 1,022 pounds per square mile, North Carolina is ranked 19th of 56 states and US territories, according to recent Toxics Release Inventory released by the EPA.

The Toxics Release Inventory is composed of 755 individual chemicals that the EPA has deemed significantly harmful to human health and the environment.

Companies, such as utilities, manufacturers and mining interests, that emit or discharge chemicals on the TRI list above certain thresholds must report the amounts, as well as their waste management and pollution prevention activities, to the EPA by July 1 of each year. Small companies, those employing fewer than 10 workers, are exempt from the reporting requirement.

However, the list of TRI chemicals is not comprehensive. The 2018 data do not reflect emissions and discharges of perfluorinated compounds — PFAS. The 2020 data will include PFAS as a result of the National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress in December 2019. Now industry is required to report production, management and disposal of any of the 172 types of PFAS.

There are 779 TRI facilities in North Carolina. Collectively, they generate 501.4 million pounds of waste. Nearly 40 million pounds are disposed of on-site, in the water, air, or on land. Fifteen million pounds are transported off-site. The majority — 446 million pounds — is recycled, treated or used for energy recovery.

New Hanover County tops the state in total pounds of chemicals “managed” — generated — with 183.3 million pounds. Fortron Industries, a chemical company, is the county’s largest pollution source; it disposed of more than 1.8 million pounds of chemicals, all of it off-site. Elementus Chromium disposed of 1.67 million pounds on-site.

Beaufort County has the largest TRI pollution source — PCS Phosphate, a mining company and chemical plant. In 2018 it disposed of or released 5.5 million pounds of chemicals, accounting for nearly all the the TRI pollutants in the county. About two-thirds of PCS Phosphate’s emissions enter the air; the rest are disposed of on land.

Here are the top 10 counties in pounds of chemicals generated. Scroll down for the entire list, pounds generated and largest pollution sources.

The TRI site can be a rabbit hole, so here’s a quick primer on how to dig deeper into the site:

Start on the main page.

From here you can type in or click on North Carolina. The next page will give you a summary of North Carolina releases, emissions and disposal methods. It also lists the top five chemicals emitted into the air and discharged into the water.

If you want to search by county, you can click on the map on this page, or an easier way is to return to the main page, type in North Carolina and the county name.

For example, Columbus County shows there are five TRI facilities, which generate a total of 7 million pounds of chemicals; the largest pollution source is International Paper in Riegelwood, with 3 million pounds.

If you want to search by chemical, start on the Data and Tools page.

The TRI Explorer offers several search parameters, including geography, facility and chemical. After clicking on “User Selected Chemical,” I chose 1,4-Dioxane from the selection box.

The next page shows that 17,658 pounds of the compound were released in 2018 in North Carolina. Select “1,4-Dioxane” and you’ll see a list of companies that report discharging or emitting the compound.

Alternately click on the small arrows at the top of the 1,4-Dioxane column for more detail on air and water emissions.

And if you’re still hungry for more information, the TRI offers a deeper dive on “Factors to Consider When Using TRI Data.”

Below is a county-level summary. Not all counties have a TRI facility. If a county is listed as “0” that means its companies did not report any TRI chemicals in 2018.

Toxics Release Inventory, 2018 COUNTY NO OF FACILITIES POUNDS MANAGED LARGEST POLLUTION SOURCE POUNDS DISPOSED/ RELEASED ON-SITE/

OFF-SITE BY LARGEST POLLUTION SOURCE ALAMANCE 12 349,300 SOUTH ATLANTIC GALVANIZING 93,558 ALEXANDER 4 187,700 PIEDMONT COMPOSITES AND TOOLING 23,010 ALLEGHENY 1 0 0 ANSON 5 3 EDWARDS WOOD PRODUCTS 3 ASHE 2 323,500 UNITED CHEMI-CON 1505, BEAUFORT 4 5,900,000 PCS PHOSPHATE 5,514,524 BERTIE 3 7,100,000 LEWISTON PROCESSING 2,213,456 BLADEN 8 5,100,000 SMITHFIELD TAR HEEL 2,9521,01 BRUNSWICK 9 4,500,000 CPI USA 4,183,306 BUNCOMBE 23 14,900,000 DUKE ENERGY STEAM PLANT 3,180,810 BURKE 11 6,000,000 HEXION 148,808 CABARRUS 17 5,200,000 VENATOR CHEMICALS 343,347 CALDWELL 6 3,700,000 SHURTAPE TECHNOLOGIES 247,577 CARTERET 6 90,200 PARKER MARINE 37,047 CASWELL 2 0 0 CATAWBA 26 23,300,000 DUKE ENERGY MARSHALL 2,291,146 CHATHAM 8 2,100,000 ARAUCO 504,096 CHEROKEE 4 979 TEAM INDUSTRIES 184 CHOWAN 2 109,300 REGULATOR MARINE 97,117 CLAY 1 2 COLEMAN CABLE 2 CLEVELAND 20 1,400,000 CORMTECH 313,782 COLUMBUS 5 7,000,000 INTERNATIONAL PAPER RIEGELWOOD 3,004,487 CRAVEN 7 12,200,000 INTERNATIONAL PAPER NEW BERN MILL 678,361 CUMBERLAND 12 10,000,000 CARGILL 371,426 DARE 2 4,000 DARE COUNTY BOMB RANGE 3,699 DAVIDSON 11 640,500 ELECTRIC GLASS FIBER AMERICA 14,269 DAVIE 2 219,600 PALLET ONE 1 DUPLIN 9 278,400 HOUSE OF RAEFORD 133,266 DURHAM 12 6,400,000 CREE 27,944 EDGECOMBE 8 3,700,000 HC COMPOSITES 45,316 FORSYTH 25 16,100,000 ARDAGH METAL BEVERAGE 611,188 FRANKLIN 4 3,900,000 NOVOZYMES 133,447 GASTON 23 5,100,000 DUKE ENERGY ALLEN 148,454 GRANVILLE 11 364,300 CERTAINTEED 230,540 GUILFORD 57 17,300,000 AKZONOBEL COATINGS 141,374 HALIFAX 6 11,000,000 KAPSTONE KRAFT PAPER 1,060,739 HARNETT 5 15,400 WARREN OIL 7,977 HAYWOOD 3 1,3900,000 BLUE RIDGE PAPER 2,516,225 HENDERSON 17 3,700,000 BLUE RIDGE METALS 204,626 HERTFORD 2 1,1400,000 PERDUE FARMS 160,741 HOKE 1 0 0 IREDELL 25 5,100,000 TYSON FARMS 53,438 JACKSON 2 104,700 JACKSON PAPER 186 JOHNSTON 11 560,800 RAVEN ANTENNA/GLOBAL SKYWARE 16,558 JONES 1 4,600 ROWMARK CUSTOM LAMINATIONS 4,600 LEE 8 2,100,000 PILGRIM’S PRIDE 789,161 LENOIR 8 872,300 SANDERSON FARMS ST PAULS 56,557 LINCOLN 10 821,900 ROBERT BOSCH TOOL 95,894 MACON 2 0 0 MADISON 1 0 0 MARTIN 2 1,1800,000 DOMTAR PAPER 979,006 MCDOWELL 3 111,200 BAXTER HEALTH CARE 29,184 MECKLENBURG 60 9,400,000 CHARLOTTE PIPE AND FOUNDRY 620,309 MITCHELL 1 30,800 BRP US 8,079 MONTGOMERY 7 299,300 UNILIN US 205,691 MOORE 4 53,700 ERICO INTERNTAIONAL 95 NASH 13 3,800,000 UNIVERSAL LEAF 96,113 NEW HANOVER 13 183,300,000 FORTRON INDUSTRIES 1,859,946 NORTHAMPTON 2 553,600 GEORGIA-PACIFIC CHEMICALS 143,284 ONSLOW 6 1,200,000 CAMP LEJEUNE 954,033 ORANGE 5 951,600 ARMACELL 1,065 PASQUOTANK 2 0 0 PERQUIMANS 1 5 HARVEY POINT DEFENSE TESTING ACTIVITY 5 PERSON 7 16,800,000 CPI USA 2,301,448 PITT 11 1,200,000 GRADY WHITE BOATS 155,466 RANDOLPH 19 4,000,000 ENERGIZER MANUFACTURING 118,569 RICHMOND 5 663,000 DUKE ENERGY SMITH ENERGY 318,336 ROBESON 11 2,800,000 SANDERSON FARMS ST PAULS 149,144 ROCKINGHAM 10 6,500,000 EDEN CUSTOM PROCESSING 189,013 ROWAN 21 5,700,000 SOUTHERN CO ROWAN POWER PLANT 78,010 RUTHERFORD 9 13,600,000 DUKE ENERGY ROGERS 1,130,555 SAMPSON 5 234,100 SMITHFIELD CLINTON 67,664 SCOTLAND 4 890,000 RAILROAD FRICTION 414,769 STANLY 9 141,700 MICHELIN AIRCRAFT 25,292 STOKES 2 10,500,000 DUKE ENERGY BELEWS CREEK 598,228 SURRY 9 1,600,000 WAYNE FARMS DOBSON FRESH PLANT 225,834 SWAIN 2 12,000 NOT REPORTED NOT REPORTED UNION 16 1,200,000 OMNOVA SOLUTIONS 110,521 VANCE 5 71,200 ARDAGH GLASS 31,408 WAKE 24 5,800,000 KELLOG’S SNACKS 153,732 WASHINGTON 1 1 MURPHY BROWN NEW COLONY MILL 1 WAYNE 9 230,100 GEORGIA-PACIFIC WOOD PRODUCTS 61,546 WILKES 8 1,800,000 LOUISIANA PACIFIC 314,583 WILSON 7 837,100 ALLIANCE ONE INTERNATIONAL 79,185 YANCEY 2 19,000 ALTEC 450