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NW states released more toxics in 2010

Industrial facilities in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho released more toxic material in 2010 than the year before, according to the federal toxics inventory out today.

The three Northwest states had seen declines in toxic releases before 2010. But that year, the releases started to climb. Washington released 27 percent more than in 2009.

Oregon released 20 percent more. And according to the federal report, Idaho is responsible for more toxics than Oregon and Washington combined – and its toxic inventory went up 17 percent in 2010. Kelly Huynh with the Environmental Protection Agency's Seattle office says the Northwest increases mirror a national trend.

"Certainly the economy plays a part in that. A lot of facilities have increased their production. Some facilities are just finding better and more accurate ways of calculating the amounts released to the environment," Huynh said.

The sources of toxic pollution differ from state to state. State and federal regulations govern the disposal and release of the toxic materials tracked in the federal report.

Rob Manning has been both a reporter and an on-air host at OPB. Before that, he filled both roles with local community station KBOO and nationally with Free Speech Radio News. He's also published freelance print stories with Portland's alternative weekly newspaper Willamette Week and Planning Magazine. In 2007, Rob received two awards for investigative reporting from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists, and he was part of the award-winning team responsible for OPB's "Hunger Series." His current beats range from education to the environment, sports to land-use planning, politics to housing.