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Contra Costa County, California: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Contra Costa County is 123.5 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 2,943 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Small hazardous waste generator (993), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (843), Large hazardous waste generator (237). 4 correctional facilities operate in the county. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 30 in a million, driven mainly by formaldehyde.

Rates are age-adjusted per 100,000 people. A cancer signal is marked significant when the lower bound of its 95 percent confidence interval is above the U.S. rate. Facility counts use active federal records located inside the county boundary. Approximate county center: 37.9093, -121.9477.

How this county ranks in California

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Cancer deaths and new cases versus the United States

Source: NCI and CDC State Cancer Profiles, both sexes, all ages. Sorted by the ratio of the county rate to the U.S. rate.

Cancer rates for Contra Costa County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	31.1	23.8	1.31xSignificant	29.8 to 32.4	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	7.4	6.6	1.12xSignificant	6.8 to 8.1	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	Deaths	2.1	1.9	1.11x	1.3 to 3.2	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.9	2.7	1.07x	2.5 to 3.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.9	18.5	1.02x	17.8 to 19.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.2	4.4	0.95x	3.8 to 4.8	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.6 to 2.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	12.3	13	0.95x	11.4 to 13.2	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.2	6.6	0.94x	5.7 to 6.8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.5	4.8	0.94x	4 to 5	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.8	6.2	0.94x	5.3 to 6.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	12.9	13.9	0.93x	12.1 to 13.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	420.6	453.4	0.93x	415.8 to 425.5	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.1	3.4	0.91x	2.7 to 3.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.8	8.7	0.9x	7.2 to 8.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5	5.7	0.88x	4.5 to 5.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	9.9	11.3	0.88x	9.2 to 10.7	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	14.2	16.4	0.87x	12 to 16.7	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.2	3.7	0.86x	2.8 to 3.7	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	123.5	143.2	0.86x	120.9 to 126.1	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	3.5	4.1	0.85x	3.1 to 3.9	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	15.9	18.7	0.85x	15 to 16.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	15.2	17.9	0.85x	14.3 to 16.1	2019-2023
Thyroid	Deaths	0.4	0.5	0.8x	0.3 to 0.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	11.5	14.5	0.79x	10.7 to 12.3	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	3.6	4.6	0.78x	3.2 to 4.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	35.9	51.8	0.69x	34.5 to 37.3	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	20.8	30.2	0.69x	19.8 to 21.9	2020-2024

Mortality measures versus the U.S. county median

Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. The comparison value is the median of all U.S. counties.

Mortality measures for Contra Costa County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	5,577.1	9,842.6	-43%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	81.2	75.3	+8%	years
Child mortality	33.4	59.8	-44%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	3.5	6.2	-43%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	56	96.9	-42%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	21.7	28.6	-24%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 30 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde19.32 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde2.02 per million
Benzene1.59 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2024

Monitored on 363 days: 195 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 48, peak 99.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,943 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Small hazardous waste generator993
NPDES wastewater discharge permit843
Large hazardous waste generator237
Rail grade crossing195
Hazardous waste transporter192
Industrial wastewater discharge158
Brownfield property96
Air permit holder (minor source)54
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)40
TRI reporting facility34
Major air pollution source28
Large greenhouse gas emitter26
Gas power plant11
EPA air quality monitor9
Solar power plant7
Correctional facility (prison or jail)4
Public airport3
Other power plant3
Heliport2
Biomass power plant2
Wind power plant2
Superfund (NPL) site2
Commercial airport1
Oil-fired power plant1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Martinez Refining, Martinez
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,335,970.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000483245 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery, Rodeo
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $3,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000483487 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Chevron Refinery Richmond, Richmond
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $3,437,950.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020506460 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery, Martinez
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $29,426,674.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071349304 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Concord Naval Weapons Station, Concord
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID CA7170024528 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
United Heckathorn Co., Richmond
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 38.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID CAD981436363 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Martinez Refining Co Llc, Martinez
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Ammonia, Carbonyl sulfide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,576,147 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94553SHLLL3485P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.6
Phillips 66 Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, Rodeo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Ammonia, n-Hexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,946,225 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94572NCLSNOLDHI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.5
Shell Catalysts &Technologies, Bay Point
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $26,550.
EPA FRS registry ID 110016742088 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.4
Chevron Products Co Richmond Refinery, Richmond
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Hydrogen cyanide, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Propylene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,291,511 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94802CHVRN841ST (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Chemtrade West Us Llc, Richmond
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $1,158,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000483860 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.3
Corteva Agriscience - Pittsburg Operations, Pittsburg
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000602544 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.8
Solvay Usa Inc, Martinez
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000483263 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co Llc, Martinez
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, n-Hexane, Propylene, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 322,724 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94553TSCCRAVONR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Phillips 66 Carbon Plant, Rodeo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Mercury compounds, Lead compounds and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 265,492 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94572TSCSF2101F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Air Products & Chemicals Inc (Martinez-Waterfront Road), Martinez
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, Ethylene, Propylene and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 88,459 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94553RPRDS110WA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Air Products West Coast Hydrogen - Hp-2, Martinez
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Acetaldehyde, Ammonia, Propylene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 77,875 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 9455WRPRDC1915S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Air Liquide Large Industries Us Lp - Rodeo Hydrogen Plant, Rodeo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, n-Hexane, Nickel compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 60,992 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 9457WRLQDL1391S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Corteva Agriscience Llc, Pittsburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Tetrachloroethylene, Chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), Carbon tetrachloride, N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 60,781 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94565DWCHMFOOTO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc, Richmond
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Acrylamide, Tetrachloroethylene, Mercury. Reports carcinogens. 26,816 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94804BRDLB32NDA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Silgan Containers Mfg Corp, Antioch
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Butyl alcohol, Methyl isobutyl ketone and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 26,640 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94509WSTRN2200W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Mecs, Inc. Avon Plant, Martinez
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000483218 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Henkel Corp, Bay Point
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000499130 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Chemtrade West Us Llc, Richmond
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Lead, Vanadium compounds, Mixture. Reports carcinogens. 16,698 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94802GNRLC525CA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Shell Catalysts & Technologies - Pittsburg, Pittsburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Molybdenum trioxide, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nickel And Nickel Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 15,342 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 94565CRTRN2850W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

West Country Detention Facility, Richmond
EPA FRS registry ID
110070429963
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Marsh Creek Detention Facility, Clayton
EPA FRS registry ID
110070484257
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Martinez Detention Facility, M Module Remodel, Martinez
EPA FRS registry ID
110070902604
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Contra Costa Girls Detention Center, Martinez
EPA FRS registry ID
110071351830
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Contra Costa County

California state cancer registry
Cancer incidence counts by census tract or ZIP code, by cancer type and year (de-identified). Any cancer cluster inquiries or investigations in Contra Costa County, and their findings.
California vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
California health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
California environmental agency and the U.S. EPA regional office
Compliance history, inspection reports, notices of violation, penalties and enforcement actions for each facility above, cited by EPA FRS registry ID.
California drinking water program
Violation notices, sampling results and sanitary surveys for the public water systems serving the county, including any system serving a correctional facility.
Department of corrections or county sheriff
Water testing, grievances and environmental health inspections for the correctional facilities listed above.

Each Envyrofax address report includes a printable records request worksheet with the custodian and the exact request wording per finding.

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