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A basic function of a PRTR system is making release and transfer data accessible to the public. Making such data available can help facilitate public participation in the environmental decision-making process. On a larger scale, countries can improve their PRTR system and design better systems by learning from current experiences and particularly effective methods. OECD prepared a guidance document on the presentation and dissemination of PRTR data in 2000 to provide Member countries with a practical guide on disseminating and presenting PRTR data.
Dissemination and Presentation of PRTR Data
Presentation and Dissemination of PRTR Data: Practices and Experiences, Getting the Words and Numbers Out is a practical guide for governments to help them more effectively and efficiently disseminate and present PRTR data. This document contains examples of methods used by government, industry, academia and Environmental Citizens' Organisations.
Some of the questions addressed in this document include:
How do governments and industry release PRTR data to the public (e.g. via the Internet, press conferences, publication of reports, etc.)- What formats are used to present the data to different audiences- What information, in addition to release and transfer data on chemicals, is provided or should be provided to help the public understand the possible impacts of the emissions (e.g. is chemical toxicity information also provided)- How do non-governmental organisations and/or Environmental Citizens' Organisations, academia and international organisations disseminate and present PRTR data, or similar types of release or transfer, data to the public- How do governments decide what format or presentation technique would best convey the information to the public (e.g. do they invite members of the public to suggest possible formats before broadly disseminating the information)- How are the emissions data compiled and presented to the public (e.g. company-by-company data from geographical region to geographical region within a country; by industrial sector; by individual facility in alphabetical order; by pollutant; are year-to-year trends provided, etc.)-
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