Right-to-Know App Identifies Toxic Neighbors

This application was designed by Abt Associates for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Feb 24, 2011

If you’ve ever wondered how close your home or office is to a chemical facility and if the toxins it is releasing might impact your health, answers can be as close as your smartphone. A pioneering mobile application known as My Right-to-Know (myRTK), designed and developed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by Abt Associates, can enable you to easily access this information. All you need is a Web-enabled mobile device.

The MyRTK application, engineered by the Bethesda firm launches with a map or list of facilities in close proximity to the mobile device, or near an address identified by the user. An easy-to-comprehend, graphically rich interface is used to simplify fairly complex information, including the facilities' locations, relative size, chemical releases and their possible health effects, and a record of compliance with U.S. environmental laws. The Google-serviced maps are complemented with street and satellite views.

The application includes suggestions of what mobile users might do next, such as report a potential violation from their device using a link to EPA's enforcement office.

MyRTK can be viewed at http://myrtk.epa.gov/info/. (More...)