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Merced County, California: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Merced County is 144.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Stomach deaths at 1.7 times the U.S. rate and Liver & bile duct deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,181 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (365), Small hazardous waste generator (209), Rail grade crossing (113). 7 correctional facilities operate in the county, at least one with health-based drinking water violations on record. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 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: 37.1873, -120.6092.

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 Merced County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Stomach	Deaths	4.6	2.7	1.7xSignificant	3.5 to 5.9	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	8.7	6.6	1.32xSignificant	7.1 to 10.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.4	6.6	1.27xSignificant	6.9 to 10.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	10.7	8.7	1.23xSignificant	9 to 12.6	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.8	4.1	1.17x	3.7 to 6.2	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.7	3.4	1.09x	2.7 to 4.9	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.7	18.5	1.06x	17.4 to 22.4	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6	5.7	1.05x	4.7 to 7.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	18.4	17.9	1.03x	16.1 to 20.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.5	4.4	1.02x	3.5 to 5.8	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	14.2	13.9	1.02x	12.2 to 16.4	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	144.6	143.2	1.01x	138 to 151.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.4	11.3	1.01x	9.7 to 13.4	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	16.5	16.4	1.01x	12.4 to 21.4	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.1	6.2	0.98x	4.9 to 7.6	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	396.8	453.4	0.88x	386 to 407.8	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	11	13	0.85x	9.2 to 12.9	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	3.9	4.8	0.81x	2.8 to 5.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	23.9	30.2	0.79x	21.3 to 26.8	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	11	14.5	0.76x	9.3 to 13	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.5	2	0.75x	0.9 to 2.3	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	13.7	18.7	0.73x	11.7 to 15.9	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	2.7	3.7	0.73x	1.9 to 3.8	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	37.1	51.8	0.72x	33.8 to 40.6	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	2.9	4.6	0.63x	2.1 to 4	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	12.3	23.8	0.52x	10.4 to 14.4	2019-2023

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 Merced County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,849.5	9,842.6	-10%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.2	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	42	59.8	-30%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	4.1	6.2	-34%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	70.2	96.9	-28%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	20.9	28.6	-27%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde27.64 per million
Acetaldehyde3.1 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Pahpom1.74 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 186 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 50, peak 100.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,181 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit365
Small hazardous waste generator209
Rail grade crossing113
Gas station (mapped facility)100
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)97
Hazardous waste transporter52
Large hazardous waste generator51
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)38
Industrial wastewater discharge33
Air permit holder (minor source)19
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)16
TRI reporting facility14
Major air pollution source12
Solar power plant9
Public airport8
Correctional facility (prison or jail)7
Large greenhouse gas emitter7
Scrapyard (mapped facility)7
Brownfield property5
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)4
Commercial airport3
EPA air quality monitor2
Heliport2
Hydroelectric plant2
Pumped storage plant2
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
Wind power plant1
Superfund (NPL) site1

Highest-severity records

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

Foster Farms Livingston Complex, Livingston
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $466,876.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485145 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Castle Air Force Base (6 Areas), Merced
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 37.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID CA3570024551 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Hilmar Cheese Co, Hilmar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $466,464.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000495802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.9
E&J Gallo Winery, Livingston
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $63,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485154 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.6
Greif Industrial Packaging & Servs Llc, Merced
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $86,340.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485207 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.5
Foster Farms Livingston Complex, Livingston
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Peracetic acid, Certain glycol ethers and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 671,966 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95334FSTRF843DA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Fineline Industries Llc, Merced
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 306,409 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95340FNLNN455GR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Fineline Industries Inc, Merced
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $35,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485181 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.9
Mb Sports, Atwater
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 21,194 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 9530WMBSPR28AIR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
E&J Gallo Winery, Livingston
Major air pollution source. Penalties $63,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485154 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Hilmar Cheese Co, Hilmar
Major air pollution source. Penalties $466,464.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000495802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Highway 59 Landfill Site, Merced
Major air pollution source. Penalties $1,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043972804 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Atwater Federal Prison, Atwater
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 5,870 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95301TWTRF1FEDE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
E&J Gallo Winery, Livingston
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $63,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485154 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Greif Industrial Packaging & Servs Llc, Merced
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $86,340.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485207 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Hilmar Cheese Co, Hilmar
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $466,464.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000495802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Hilmar Cheese Co, Hilmar
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $466,464.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000495802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Hilmar Cheese Co, Hilmar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Hydrogen sulfide, Nitric acid, Peracetic acid and 2 more. 57,466 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95324HLMRC9001N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Dole Packaged Foods Llc, Atwater
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution). 43,328 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95301JRWDN7916W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Dole Packaged Foods, Llc., Atwater
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000525325 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Foster Farms Livingston Complex, Livingston
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $466,876.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000485145 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Hilmar Cheese Co, Hilmar
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $466,464.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000495802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Highway 59 Landfill Site, Merced
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $1,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043972804 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
E & J Gallo Winery, Livingston
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 35,896 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95334JGLLW18000 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Qg Printing Ii Llc, Merced
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, Ethylene glycol. 18,812 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 95348QBCRW2201C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3

Correctional facilities

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

John Latoracca Correctional Facility-Chlorinator For Well 3, Merced
EPA FRS registry ID
110013144757
Water system
CA2400172
Health-based violations
2 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
6
Contaminants cited
Coliform (TCR)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
John Latorraca Adult Correctional Fac, Merced
EPA FRS registry ID
110037379011
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Atwater Federal Prison, Atwater
EPA FRS registry ID
110043694954
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Usp Atwater Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Atwater
EPA FRS registry ID
110070452295
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Downtown Jail Replacement Pii, Merced
EPA FRS registry ID
x05b8b31aff7bffbb513b3e869e80bfa1
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report
Merced County Jail Remodel And Expansion Phase I Site And 1400 Central Electrica, Merced
EPA FRS registry ID
x36a3b71a0710a922603536e8230c3a47
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report
Downtown Jail Replacement, Merced
EPA FRS registry ID
xbdda86d9e752b1629dbe479ba2d47191
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Merced 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 Merced 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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