Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds

Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds (EPA TRI Category Code N096) is a chemical tracked by the EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The TRI requires industrial facilities above specified threshold quantities to disclose annual manufacturing, processing, and otherwise-used volumes, along with quantities released to air, water, land, and off-site transfers.

Across the United States, 281 facilities have filed TRI Form R disclosures for Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds, with a cumulative reported release volume of 11.3M lbs. The chemical carries a carcinogen classification in the TRI database, based on assessments from EPA, IARC, or the National Toxicology Program. The largest individual disclosure in the current dataset comes from EAGLE MINE LLC-HUMBOLDT MILL in MI at 2.0M lbs.

TRI volumes are self-reported estimates, not measured stack emissions, and each pound counts equally regardless of chemical toxicity, so total pounds should not be equated with total risk. Inclusion of a chemical or facility in the TRI does not itself establish a health hazard; it documents the public right-to-know record. Consult EPA's IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for health-effect summaries.