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Get RSEI
RSEI is screening-level modeling software that you can download for free and run on your computer. RSEI analyzes risk factors including the amount of chemical released, the fate and transport of the chemical, the route and extent of human exposure to the chemical, and the toxicity of the chemical to produce a risk-related numerical score which you can use to compare to other model results.
This page describes how to get the RSEI model; what is new in the latest version, and tips for dealing with known problems RSEI users have encountered.
Order a CD of the Current Version RSEI 2.1.5
Get RSEI Version 2.1.5 (using 1996-2005 TRI reporting data) on CD-ROM from the TSCA Assistance Information Service at (202) 554-1404 or tsca-hotline@epa.gov.
Once installed, you will also need to download the RSEI_2.1.5_patch (EXE) (658K) to correct data errors. We recommend that you update to RSEI 2.1.5 because earlier versions of RSEI contain the same data errors and the patch may not work on them.
What is New in Version 2.1.5
Each new version of RSEI incorporates the latest TRI data, as well as changes to the input data and the methodology used to process the data and present the results. The following changes were made in Version 2.1.5:
- TRI Reporting Years—The RSEI Version 2.1.5 installation disk includes TRI Reporting Years 1996-2005. However, all TRI reporting years (1988-2005) have been processed with the current methodology, and are available upon request.
- Facility Locations—Facility locations now use EPA's Locational Reference Tables (LRT) as the primary source for latitude and longitude. Previous versions used several different data sources (including the LRT), and used decision rules to select the most accurate coordinates.
- Facility Stack Data—More facilities have site-specific stack information, obtained from EPA’s National Emissions Inventory (NEI) database, in addition to the sources used previously.
- Chemical-Specific Toxicity Data—Toxicity weights have been updated. The toxicity weights for cobalt, nickel, barium, n-hexane, toluene, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene are the only ones that have changed from previous versions of RSEI.
- Chromium Speciation—Previous versions assumed, as a worst-case scenario, that all chromium and chromium compounds released or transferred by facilities was hexavalent chromium, the most toxic form of chromium. Version 2.1.5 assumes that facilities may release some combination of hexavalent chromium and trivalent chromium. SIC-code specific estimates from the 2002 National Emissions Inventory (available from EPA's Technology Transfer Network) are used to estimate the fraction of each type. As trivalent chromium has a very low toxicity, only the hexavalent fraction is modeled, using a toxicity weight specifically for that valence state.
- Metals and Metal Compounds—Metals and metal compounds are modeled and reported together as a single category (for example, “Lead and lead compounds”).
User Tips to Deal with Potential Problems
RSEI cannot find a data table
Users sometimes report errors that result from RSEI not being able to locate the appropriate data tables. This error often arises from RSEI being installed while the user is logged into a local area network (LAN). We recommend that you uninstall RSEI, log off of your LAN or disconnect network drives, then reinstall RSEI. If you have an earlier version of RSEI, we recommend you update to the current version.
Selections that produce zero facilities
It is not unusual for users to report that a selection statement return no facilities or releases even though they know there are reports. The most common reason for this error is a mismatch in the text. For example, if you use lower case for state abbreviations (e.g. tx instead of TX), RSEI will return zero matches. If you are unsure of what value you should put in a selection statement, use the “Help” feature or User's Manual (PDF) (157 pp, 1.6 MB, About PDF) to identify the appropriate data type (number, text, True/False) and format for that variable.
Users also sometimes use the incorrect any/all/none operator in a bracket statement. For bracketed statements where the variable is the same, but the value changes (e.g. facility location.state is equal to TX; facility location.state is equal to LA), the appropriate operator is “any”.
Contact us if you encounter other errors or need assistance.