About Toxics Use Reduction (TUR)

Chemical production and use in the U.S. economy has expanded dramatically for decades. The strength of U.S. chemical production provides major benefits to the economy in general. However, it’s important to recognize the hazards of these chemicals.

Toxic chemicals used in a wide range of industries have caused serious health impacts on workers and contributed to environmental degradation. For example:

• Dry cleaning operations have long used perchloroethylene, a known carcinogen and reproductive toxicant, leading to widespread contamination of drinking water.
• Methylene chloride has been used in a wide variety of industrial and non-industrial activities including paint stripping during refinishing of autos, furniture and other household products. At least 14 workers have died since 2000 just as a result of using methylene chloride-based strippers during refinishing of bathtubs.
• In beauty salons, workers are regularly exposed to harmful substances such as toluene, styrene, di-butyl phthalate, and formaldehyde, which can cause skin irritation, respiratory issues, liver damage, and cancer.

Toxic chemicals also pose serious environmental risks. Industrial processes release pollutants into the air, water, and soil, harming ecosystems and contaminating natural resources. Persistent chemicals can accumulate in the environment and enter the food chain, affecting wildlife and long-term ecological health.

Through TUR companies can also avoid the “costs of toxics,” which include the ever-increasing costs of disposing of hazardous waste, potential for fines and lawsuits, and less tangible, but no less important, impacts on customer relationships and public trust.

Reducing toxic chemical use through TUR protects both human health and the environment while supporting safer, more sustainable industrial practices.

Learn more about priority hazardous chemicals.

Toxics Use Reduction (TUR) emerged in Massachusetts in the late 1980s as a response to the limitations of traditional environmental protection strategies focused on pollution control and cleanup. In the 1970s, landmark U.S. legislation like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act led to significant improvements in air and water quality through end-of-pipe technologies. However, these laws largely ignored hazardous waste and often shifted pollution from one medium to another, rather than preventing it. By the 1980s, mounting hazardous waste, costly cleanups, and disasters highlighted the need for a proactive approach to toxic chemicals. The publication of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) in 1989 further underscored the scale of chemical releases and fueled demand for source reduction strategies.

Against this backdrop, Massachusetts developed and passed the Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) in 1989, becoming the first state to require companies to plan for reducing the use of toxic substances. TUR differs from pollution control by targeting toxics at their source—before they become waste or emissions—focusing on process changes, safer materials, and improved efficiency. In the decades since, TUR has evolved alongside broader pollution prevention (P2) efforts, integration into Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and increasing transparency around chemical use. As global supply chains and chemical policy continue to develop, TUR remains a model for balancing environmental protection, worker safety, and economic competitiveness.

Toxics use reduction (TUR) refers to strategies that reduce, avoid or eliminate the use of toxic chemicals or the generation of hazardous wastes in manufacturing. TUR strategies are creative and varied; however, most fall under one of six categories of TUR techniques.

1. Input substitution: replacing a toxic substance or raw material used in production with a safer. less toxic substance.
2. Product reformulation: reformulating or redesigning the product to be safer or less toxic upon use, release, or disposal.
3. Production unit redesign or modification: modifying or replacing production units with a different design that improves efficiency or facilitates toxic chemical reduction.
4. Production unit modernization: upgrading or replacing production unit equipment or methods to improve efficiency.
5. Improved operation and maintenance: modifying existing chemical management methods, implementing improved housekeeping practices, making system adjustments, or improving process/product inspections to achieve toxics use reduction.
6. Integral recycling: recycling, reusing, or extending the use of toxics by using equipment or methods that are designed to eliminate potential for accidental releases or worker exposures.

Toxics Use Reduction (TUR) planning provides a structured framework for companies to evaluate their operations and identify ways to reduce the use of toxic substances. The process involves analyzing production activities, tracking all toxic chemicals used on-site, and systematically assessing opportunities to reduce or eliminate their use.

Companies subject to the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act, due to their size, industry sector, and use or generation of TURA listed toxic substances, must conduct TUR planning every two years. TUR planning is led by trained toxics use reduction planners who develop and certify TUR plans for companies in Massachusetts.

TUR planning helps businesses stay ahead of regulations while improving worker safety, reducing environmental impact, and enhancing their sustainability performance. It can lead to improved operational efficiencies, lowered hazardous waste costs, and reduced legal and reputational risks. Ultimately, TUR planning supports innovation and long-term cost savings, making it a smart and sustainable business strategy.

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