E-PRTR pollutants and their thresholds 
 
A facility has to report data under E-PRTR if it fulfils the following criteria:  
• the facility falls under at least one of the 65 E-PRTR economic activities. The 
activities are also reported using a statistical classification of economic activities 
(NACE rev 2)  
• the facility has a capacity exceeding at least one of the E-PRTR capacity 
thresholds  
• the facility releases pollutants or transfers waste off-site which exceed specific 
thresholds set out in Article 5 of the E-PRTR Regulation. These thresholds for 
releases of pollutants are specified for each media - air, water and land - in Annex 
II of the E-PRTR Regulation. 
 
In the following tables you will find the 91 E-PRTR pollutants and their thresholds broken 
down by the 7 groups used in all the searches of the E-PRTR website. 
 
 
Greenhouse gases 
 
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
Carbon dioxide (CO2) 100 million - - 
Hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs) 100 - - 
Methane (CH4) 100 000 - - 
Nitrous oxide (N2O) 10 000 - - 
Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) 100 - - 
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) 50 - - 
 
Other gases 
 
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
Ammonia (NH3) 10 000 - - 
Carbon monoxide (CO) 500 000 - - 
Chlorine and inorganic compounds 
(as HCl) 
10 000 - - 
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) 1 - - 
Flourine and inorganic compounds 
(as HF) 
5 000 - - 
Halons 1 - - 
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) 1 - - 
Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) 200 - - 
Nitrogen oxides (NOx/NO2) 100 000 - - 
Non-methane volatile organic 
compounds (NMVOC) 
100 000 - - 
Sulphur oxides (SOx/SO2) 150 000 - - 
 
Heavy metals 
  
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
Arsenic and compounds (as As) 20 5 5 
Cadmium and compounds (as Cd) 10 5 5 
Chromium and compounds (as Cr) 100 50 50 
Copper and compounds (as Cu) 100 50 50 
Lead and compounds (as Pb) 200 20 20 
Mercury and compounds (as Hg) 10 1 1 
Nickel and compounds (as Ni) 50 20 20 
Zinc and compounds (as Zn) 200 100 100 
 
Pesticides  
 
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
1,2,3,4,5,6- hexachlorocyclohexane 
(HCH) 
10 1 1 
Alachlor - 1 1 
Aldrin 1 1 1 
Atrazine - 1 1 
Chlordane 1 1 1 
Chlordecone 1 1 1 
Chlorfenvinphos - 1 1 
Chlorpyrifos - 1 1 
DDT 1 1 1 
Diuron - 1 1 
Endosulphan - 1 1 
Endrin 1 1 1 
Heptachlor 1 1 1 
Isodrin - 1 - 
Isoproturon - 1 1 
Lindane 1 1 1 
Mirex 1 1 1 
Simazine - 1 1 
Toxaphene 1 1 1 
Tributylin and compounds - 1 1 
Trifluralin - 1 1 
Triphenyltin and compounds - 1 1 
 
Chlorinated organic substances  
 
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
1,1,1-trichloroethane 100 - - 
1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane 50 - - 
1,2-dichloroethane (EDC) 1 000 10 10 
Brominated diphenylethers (PBDE) - 1 1 
Chloro-alkanes, C10-C13 - 1 1 
Dichloromethane (DCM) 1 000 10 10 
Dieldrin 1 1 1 
Halogenated Organic Compounds (AOX) - 1 000 1 000 
Hexabromobifenyl 0,1 0,1 0,1 
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) 10 1 1 
Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) - 1 1 
PCDD+PCFD (Dioxins+furans) (as Teq) 0,0001 0,0001 0,0001 
Pentachlorobenzene 1 1 1 
Pentachlorophenol (PCP) 10 1 1 
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) 0,1 0,1 0,1 
Tetrachloroethylene (PER) 2 000 10 - 
Tetrachloromethane (TCM) 100 1 - 
Trichlorobenzenes (TCBs) (all isomers) 10 1 - 
Trichloroethylene 2 000 10 - 
Trichloromethane 500 10 - 
Vynil chloride 1 000 10 10 
 
 
Other organic substances 
 
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
Anthracene 50 1 1 
Benzene 1 000 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
Benzo(g,h,i)perylene - 1 - 
Di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) 10 1 1 
Ethyl benzene - 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
Ethylene oxide 1 000 10 10 
Fluoranthene - 1 - 
Naphthalene 100 10 10 
Nonylphenol and Nonylphenol ethoxylates 
(NP/NPEs) 
- 1 1 
Octylphenols and octylphenol ethoxylates - 1 - 
Organotin compounds (as total Sn) - 50 50 
Phenols (as total C) - 20 20 
Polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) 50 5 5 
Toluene - 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) (as total C or 
COD/3) 
- 50 000 - 
Xylenes - 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
200 (as 
BTEX) 
 
 
Inorganic substances 
 
 THRESHOLD FOR RELEASES 
 to air 
kg/year 
to water 
kg/year 
to land 
kg/year 
Asbestos 1 1 1 
Chlorides (as total Cl) - 2 million 2 million 
Cyanides (as total CN) - 50 50 
Fluorides (as total F) - 2 000 2 000 
Particulate matter (PM10) 50 000 - - 
Total Nitrogen - 50 000 50 000 
Total Phosphorus - 5 000 5 000 
 
 
