IL / county FIPS 17097 / county research

Lake County, Illinois: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Lake County is 132.1 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,647 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Air permit holder (minor source) (728), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (659), Industrial wastewater discharge (354). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 20 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: 42.3254, -88.0153.

How this county ranks in Illinois

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

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 Lake 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	34.3	23.8	1.44xSignificant	32.5 to 36.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	22.4	18.5	1.21xSignificant	21 to 24	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	15.7	13	1.21xSignificant	14.4 to 17.1	2019-2023
Thyroid	Deaths	0.6	0.5	1.2x	0.3 to 0.8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.7	4.8	1.19xSignificant	5 to 6.5	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	20.3	18.7	1.09xSignificant	18.9 to 21.7	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	4	3.7	1.08x	3.4 to 4.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.2	11.3	1.08x	11.1 to 13.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	15.5	14.5	1.07x	14.3 to 16.8	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.6	6.2	1.06x	5.8 to 7.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.7	13.9	1.06x	13.5 to 15.9	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	477.9	453.4	1.05xSignificant	471.2 to 484.8	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.9	6.6	1.05x	6.1 to 7.8	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.8	2.7	1.04x	2.3 to 3.4	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	16.9	16.4	1.03x	13.9 to 20.4	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.5	4.4	1.02x	3.9 to 5.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	5.5	5.7	0.96x	4.8 to 6.3	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.5 to 2.4	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	49.1	51.8	0.95x	47 to 51.3	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	132.1	143.2	0.92x	128.6 to 135.7	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.2	4.6	0.91x	3.6 to 4.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.1	3.4	0.91x	2.6 to 3.7	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	16.2	17.9	0.91x	15 to 17.5	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.8	6.6	0.88x	5.1 to 6.6	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	26.4	30.2	0.87x	24.8 to 28	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.4	8.7	0.85x	6.6 to 8.2	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.3	4.1	0.8x	2.8 to 3.9	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 Lake County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	5,609.9	9,842.6	-43%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	80.4	75.3	+7%	years
Child mortality	35.2	59.8	-41%	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	54.1	96.9	-44%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	18.4	28.6	-36%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 20 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde14.98 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Benzene1.35 per million
Naphthalene1.32 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 231 days: 196 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 39, peak 108.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,647 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Air permit holder (minor source)728
NPDES wastewater discharge permit659
Industrial wastewater discharge354
Gas station (mapped facility)222
Rail grade crossing181
Small hazardous waste generator155
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)90
Large hazardous waste generator50
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)43
TRI reporting facility36
Brownfield property34
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)20
Major air pollution source17
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)11
Heliport10
Large greenhouse gas emitter8
Hazardous waste transporter6
Landfill (mapped facility)6
Superfund (NPL) site5
Public airport4
Gas power plant3
EPA air quality monitor1
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Biomass power plant1
Coal 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.

Outboard Marine Corp., Waukegan
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID ILD000802827 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Johns-Manville Corp., Waukegan
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 38.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID ILD005443544 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Wauconda Sand & Gravel, Wauconda
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 53.4. NPL Site.
EPA site ID ILD047019732 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Yeoman Creek Landfill, Waukegan
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 33.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID ILD980500102 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
H.O.D. Landfill, Antioch
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 34.7. NPL Site.
EPA site ID ILD980605836 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Petroferm Inc. Gurnee Plant Site, Gurnee
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $67,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000429457 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Emco Chemical Distributors Inc, North Chicago
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025170204 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Abbvie-North Chicago Facility, North Chicago
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Dichloromethane, Ammonia, Chloroform, Methyl tert-butyl ether and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 107,568 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60064BBTTL1400N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Abbott Laboratories - N. Chicago Fac., North Chicago
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041188773 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.2
Akzonobel Aerospace Coatings, Waukegan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Ethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 39,231 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60085MDLND17EWA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Emco Chemical Distributors Inc, North Chicago
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Toluene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Ethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 32,970 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60064MCCHM2100C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Waukegan Generating Station, Waukegan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen fluoride, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Lead compounds, Copper compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,250 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60087WKGNG10GRE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Petroferm Inc. Gurnee Plant Site, Gurnee
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $67,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000429457 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Vcna Prairie Illinois Inc Yard 1024, Vernon Hills
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040985226 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Waukegan, Waukegan
Coal power plant.
Record ID 883 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.8
Vantage Specialties, Gurnee
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Propylene oxide, Ethylene oxide, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates, Cresol (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 943 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60031MZRCH3938P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Jessup Manufacturing Co, Lake Bluff
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, n-Hexane. 46,539 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60044JSSPM1701R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Harger Inc., Grayslake
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Copper And Copper Compounds, Lead, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 333 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60030SRGPT301ZI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Honeywell Analytics Inc, Lincolnshire
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol. 18,309 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60069ZLLWG405BA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
Avicenna Technology Dba Laserage, Waukegan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol. 17,320 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 6008WVCNNT321ND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
Medline Northpoint Services, Waukegan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene oxide, Ethylene glycol. Reports carcinogens. 177 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60085CSMDF1160N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
The Imagine Group Llc, Grayslake
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers. 14,429 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60030MTRLN333NB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Roquette America Inc Gurnee Plant, Gurnee
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 115 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 60031RQTTC1550N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Akzonobel Aerospace Coating, Waukegan
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000430141 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Lcdpw - Mill Creek Wrf, Old Mill Creek
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001123819 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6

Correctional facilities

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

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Lake County

Illinois 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 Lake County, and their findings.
Illinois vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Illinois health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Illinois 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.
Illinois 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.

Scan an address in Lake County View on the heat map All Illinois counties