MA / county FIPS 25011 / county research

Franklin County, Massachusetts: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Franklin County is 139.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 609 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (143), Brownfield property (88), Industrial wastewater discharge (83). 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: 42.5193, -72.5619.

How this county ranks in Massachusetts

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 Franklin County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Bladder	Deaths	5.9	4.1	1.44x	4.1 to 8.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	17.2	14.5	1.19x	13.4 to 21.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.9	30.2	1.09x	28.4 to 38.1	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.1	5.7	1.07x	4.1 to 8.9	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	54.8	51.8	1.06x	48.9 to 61.5	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	19.2	18.7	1.03x	15.7 to 23.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.4	18.5	0.99x	14.8 to 22.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.7	4.8	0.98x	3 to 7.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11	11.3	0.97x	8.5 to 14.2	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	139.2	143.2	0.97x	129.4 to 149.7	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.1	17.9	0.96x	13.4 to 21.6	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.5	3.7	0.95x	2 to 5.8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.2	3.4	0.94x	1.8 to 5.5	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.7	6.2	0.92x	3.7 to 8.5	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	11.9	13	0.92x	8.5 to 16.1	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	411.7	453.4	0.91x	393.8 to 430.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	12.6	13.9	0.91x	9.9 to 16	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	3.6	4.6	0.78x	2.1 to 6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	6.8	8.7	0.78x	4.8 to 9.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.4	4.4	0.77x	2.1 to 5.6	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	4.8	6.6	0.73x	3.1 to 7.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	4.4	6.6	0.67x	2.9 to 6.6	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	14.2	23.8	0.6x	11.1 to 18	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 Franklin County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,666.5	9,842.6	-32%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	79.3	75.3	+5%	years
Child mortality	21	59.8	-65%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	87.5	96.9	-10%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	44.3	28.6	+55%	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.

Formaldehyde12.87 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde1.4 per million
Benzene1.16 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 364 days: 280 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 38, peak 114.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit143
Brownfield property88
Industrial wastewater discharge83
Air permit holder (minor source)71
Rail grade crossing67
Small hazardous waste generator51
Gas station (mapped facility)28
Solar power plant13
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)10
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)10
Scrapyard (mapped facility)9
TRI reporting facility9
Hydroelectric plant7
Combined sewer overflow outfall3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Large hazardous waste generator2
Hazardous waste transporter2
Pumped storage plant2
Major air pollution source1
EPA air quality monitor1
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Gas 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.

Charter Next Generation - Turners Falls, Turners Falls
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ozone. 460,524 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0137WCHRTR18IND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Bete Fog Nozzle Inc., Greenfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 459 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01301BTFGN50GRE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Erving Paper Mills, Erving
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308612 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Charter Next Generation - Turner Falls, Turners Falls
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071956482 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Yankee Candle Company, Whately
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002020241 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Erving Paper Mills, Erving
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308612 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Orange Wastewater Treatment Plant, Orange
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006618909 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Impact Nano Llc Orange, Orange
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene. 2,790 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0136WMPCTN153QU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Impact Nano 153 Quabbin Boulevard, Orange
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071229624 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Erving Paper Mills, Erving
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308612 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Greenfield Water Pollution Control Facility, Greenfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024348696 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Montague Wastewater Treatment Facility, Montague
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000732574 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Northfield Mount Hermon School, Gill
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $2,780.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010425913 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Bete Fog Nozzle Inc., Greenfield
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308569 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Selkirk Corp Heat-Fab, Turners Falls
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030476811 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Hart & Cooley Llc, Turners Falls
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel, Manganese. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 01376HTFBX13IND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.6
Greenfield 16 Barr Ave, Greenfield
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 250112005 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 4.6
Erving Paper Mills, Erving
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308612 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Hardigg Industries, Deerfield
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024763273 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Northeast Biodiesel Company Llc, Greenfield
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043942883 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Pan Am Railways Yard, Deerfield
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056255387 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Pan Am Railways Yard, Deerfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056255387 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Judd Wire Inc, Montague (Turners Falls)
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308649 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Erving Wastewater Treatment Plant #1, Erving
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000761756 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Northfield Wwtf, Northfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009697667 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4

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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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.

Scan an address in Franklin County View on the heat map All Massachusetts counties