This layer 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.

This layer displays the amount of toxic releases based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a national program which tracks the management of over 650 toxic chemicals that pose a threat to human health and the environment. Facilities must report how each chemical is managed through recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and releases to the environment. A “release” of a chemical means that it is emitted to the air or water, or placed in some type of land disposal. The information submitted by facilities to the EPA and states is compiled annually as the Toxics Release Inventory or TRI, and is stored in a publicly accessible database ( Envirofacts. For more information, please visit the EPA Toxics Release Inventory web page.