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Berkshire County, Massachusetts: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Berkshire County is 140.8 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.7 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 759 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (175), Industrial wastewater discharge (120), Air permit holder (minor source) (101). 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: 42.3964, -73.2005.

How this county ranks in Massachusetts

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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 Berkshire County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	Deaths	6.2	3.7	1.68xSignificant	4.7 to 8.1	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	6.7	4.6	1.46xSignificant	5.1 to 8.6	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	25.8	18.7	1.38xSignificant	23 to 29.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	62.6	51.8	1.21xSignificant	57.9 to 67.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.4	2	1.2x	1.5 to 3.7	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4.9	4.1	1.2x	3.7 to 6.4	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7.4	6.2	1.19x	5.4 to 9.8	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.1	4.4	1.16x	3.6 to 7.1	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.1	18.5	1.14x	18.2 to 24.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.8	8.7	1.13x	7.9 to 12	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.4	4.8	1.13x	4.1 to 7	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.6	11.3	1.12x	10.6 to 15	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	16	14.5	1.1x	13.5 to 19	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	485.2	453.4	1.07xSignificant	471 to 499.8	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	13.9	13	1.07x	11.1 to 17.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.7	13.9	1.06x	12.4 to 17.3	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.7	6.6	1.02x	5.3 to 8.6	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	140.8	143.2	0.98x	133.7 to 148.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	5.5	5.7	0.96x	4.1 to 7.2	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.3	6.6	0.95x	4.8 to 8.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	27.2	30.2	0.9x	24.2 to 30.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	14.9	17.9	0.83x	12.5 to 17.9	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.7	3.4	0.79x	1.7 to 4.1	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	16.8	23.8	0.71x	14.1 to 19.8	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	1.8	2.7	0.67x	1.1 to 3	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 Berkshire County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,525.3	9,842.6	-13%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77.7	75.3	+3%	years
Child mortality	43.6	59.8	-27%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.1	6.2	-18%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	111.2	96.9	+15%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	49.6	28.6	+73%	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.

Formaldehyde12.36 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.9 per million
Acetaldehyde1.17 per million
Benzene0.93 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 285 good, 4 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 38, peak 124.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit175
Industrial wastewater discharge120
Air permit holder (minor source)101
Small hazardous waste generator97
Rail grade crossing77
Brownfield property64
Gas station (mapped facility)32
Solar power plant17
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)13
TRI reporting facility9
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)9
Major air pollution source6
Scrapyard (mapped facility)6
Large hazardous waste generator5
Large greenhouse gas emitter4
Wind power plant4
Commercial airport3
Oil-fired power plant3
EPA air quality monitor2
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)2
Hazardous waste transporter2
Hydroelectric plant2
Public airport1
Heliport1
Gas power plant1
Superfund (NPL) site1
Proposed Superfund site1
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

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

Rose Disposal Pit, Lanesboro
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 33. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD980524169 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Pittsfield Generating Company Lp, Pittsfield, Town Of
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $21,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.6
Onyx Specialty Papers Inc. - Willow Mill, South Lee
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formaldehyde, Formic acid. Reports carcinogens. 130,470 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01260MDSPCWILLO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Specialty Minerals, Inc., Adams
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308523 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.4
GE - Housatonic River, Pittsfield
Proposed Superfund site. Hazard Ranking System score 70.7. Proposed NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD002084093 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 8
Berkshire Concrete Corp, Pittsfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Lead, Mercury. Reports carcinogens. 8,605 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01202NSTRS550CH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Pittsfield Generating Company Lp, Pittsfield, Town Of
Major air pollution source. Penalties $21,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
O'Connell Oil Co Merrill Road Facility, Pittsfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Cyclohexane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,530 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01201CNNLL545ME (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Specialty Minerals Inc, Adams
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Naphthalene, Polycyclic aromatic compounds and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,352 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01220PFZRN260CO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Unistress, Pittsfield
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024342772 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.1
Pittsfield Generating Company Lp, Pittsfield, Town Of
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $21,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Onyx Specialty Papers Inc - Willow Mill, Lee
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011137402 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Pittsfield Generating Company Lp, Pittsfield, Town Of
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $21,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Specialty Minerals, Inc., Adams
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308523 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Pittsfield Generating Co Lp, Pittsfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 19,743 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01201PTTSF235ME (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
Interprint Inc, Pittsfield, Town Of
Major air pollution source. Penalties $5,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070226004 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Specialty Minerals, Inc., Adams
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308523 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Specialty Minerals, Inc., Adams
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308523 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Interprint Inc, Pittsfield, Town Of
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $5,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070226004 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Specialty Minerals, Inc., Adams
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308523 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Oconnell Oil, Pittsfield
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041199538 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Holland Company, Adams
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $860.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308499 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.1
Meadwestvaco Custom Papers Laurel Mill, Lee
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008403478 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Pittsfield Wastewater Treatment Facility, Pittsfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007369720 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Oldcastle Stone Products, Lee
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024348437 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8

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 Berkshire County

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