Air & Water Quality – RSEI Score

Methodology

This indicator displays RSEI score by county. A RSEI Score is a unitless value that accounts for the size of the chemical release, the fate and transport of the chemical through the environment, the size and location of the exposed population, and the chemical’s toxicity. RSEI scores are designed to be compared to each other. A RSEI Score 10 times higher than another RSEI Score suggests that the potential for risk is 10 times higher. Relatively small releases may lead to high RSEI Scores if the toxicity weight is particularly high or if the estimated exposed population is large. Conversely, large releases may lead to low RSEI Scores if the toxicity weight is low or if the estimated exposed population is small. A low RSEI Score indicates low potential concern from reported TRI releases, but other kinds of environmental risk may also be present, including pollution from mobile sources like cars and trucks, hazardous waste, and unreported releases from facilities. For multiple geographies, RSEI scores are added together for a combined score.