Toxic 100 Corporate Air Polluters Named

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Toxic 100 Corporate Air Polluters Named: " Amherst,

Massachusetts - Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts today released the Toxic 100, an updated list of the top corporate air polluters.

'The Toxic 100 informs consumers and shareholders which large corporations release the most toxic pollutants into our air,' says James K. Boyce, director of PERI's environment program. 'We measure not just how many pounds of pollutants are released, but which are the most toxic and how many people are at risk. People have a right to know about toxic hazards to which they are exposed. Legislators need to understand the effects of pollution on their constituents.'

The Toxic 100 index is based on air releases of hundreds of chemicals from industrial facilities across the United States. The rankings take into account not only the quantity of releases, but the relative toxicity of chemicals, nearby populations, and factors such as prevailing winds and height of smokestacks. The Toxic 100 index identifies the top air polluters among corporations that appear in the 'Fortune 500,' 'Forbes 500,' and 'Standard & Poor's 500' lists of the country's largest firms. The Toxic 100's top five companies are E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., US Steel, ConocoPhillips, GE, and Eastman Kodak."