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Middlesex County, Massachusetts: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Middlesex County is 121.7 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 6,676 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (1,889), Small hazardous waste generator (1,132), Industrial wastewater discharge (969). 7 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: 42.447, -71.2884.

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 Middlesex County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Thyroid	New cases	15.8	13	1.22xSignificant	15 to 16.7	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.8	16.4	1.09x	15.6 to 20.3	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.7	6.2	1.08x	6.2 to 7.3	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	19.9	18.7	1.06xSignificant	19.1 to 20.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.6	4.4	1.05x	4.2 to 5	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.8	4.6	1.04x	4.4 to 5.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.7	18.5	1.01x	17.9 to 19.6	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	51	51.8	0.98x	49.6 to 52.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.9	11.3	0.96x	10.3 to 11.6	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	13.4	13.9	0.96x	12.6 to 14.1	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	431.8	453.4	0.95x	427.6 to 436	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.7 to 2.2	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.5	3.7	0.95x	3.1 to 3.8	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.1	6.6	0.92x	5.6 to 6.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.5	8.7	0.86x	6.9 to 8	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.5	4.1	0.85x	3.1 to 3.9	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.3	2.7	0.85x	2 to 2.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	121.7	143.2	0.85x	119.6 to 123.9	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.6	6.6	0.85x	5.2 to 6.1	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	12	14.5	0.83x	11.3 to 12.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	24.6	30.2	0.81x	23.6 to 25.6	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	3.9	4.8	0.81x	3.5 to 4.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	4.6	5.7	0.81x	4.2 to 5	2020-2024
Thyroid	Deaths	0.4	0.5	0.8x	0.3 to 0.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	13.8	17.9	0.77x	13.1 to 14.6	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.4	3.4	0.71x	2.1 to 2.7	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	14.9	23.8	0.63x	14.1 to 15.7	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 Middlesex County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	4,415.9	9,842.6	-55%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	81.5	75.3	+8%	years
Child mortality	24.1	59.8	-60%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	2.8	6.2	-55%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	58.3	96.9	-40%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	24.3	28.6	-15%	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.

Formaldehyde15.45 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.02 per million
Benzene1.78 per million
Acetaldehyde1.56 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 299 good, 1 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 38, peak 105.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

6,676 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit1,889
Small hazardous waste generator1,132
Industrial wastewater discharge969
Air permit holder (minor source)920
Gas station (mapped facility)404
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)345
Rail grade crossing213
Brownfield property184
Large hazardous waste generator169
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)90
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)82
TRI reporting facility74
Solar power plant37
Combined sewer overflow outfall24
Heliport22
Major air pollution source18
Landfill (mapped facility)17
Hazardous waste transporter16
Large greenhouse gas emitter14
Superfund (NPL) site13
Scrapyard (mapped facility)8
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)8
Correctional facility (prison or jail)7
Gas power plant5
Public airport4
EPA air quality monitor3
Oil-fired power plant3
Battery storage plant2
Hydroelectric plant2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1

Highest-severity records

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

Natick Laboratory Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center, Natick
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MA1210020631 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Bedford
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MA6170023570 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Hanscom Field/Hanscom Air Force Base, Bedford
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MA8570024424 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Silresim Chemical Corp., Lowell
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42.7. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD000192393 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
W.R. Grace & Co., Inc. (Acton Plant), Acton
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 59.3. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD001002252 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Olin Chemical, Wilmington
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD001403104 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Charles-George Reclamation Trust Landfill, Tyngsborough
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 47.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD003809266 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Iron Horse Park, Billerica
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD051787323 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Nuclear Metals, Inc., Concord
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 58.3. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD062166335 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Industri-Plex, Woburn
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 72.4. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD076580950 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Sutton Brook Disposal Area, Tewksbury
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 57.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD980520696 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Wells G&H, Woburn
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42.7. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD980732168 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump, Ashland
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 69.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MAD990685422 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Duncan Group The, Everett, City Of
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000311047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.1
Entegris Inc, Bedford
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056375943 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Hollingsworth & Vose, Groton
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $39,705.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308881 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.6
Nyacol Nano Technologies, Ashland
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $80,106.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013868840 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.3
Univar Solutions Usa Inc, Tewksbury
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $17,740.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000310057 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.3
Boyd Corp Inc., Woburn
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Trichloroethylene, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 51,137 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01801LYTRNDRAGO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Dampney Co Inc, Everett
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, Ethylbenzene. Reports carcinogens. 50,994 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02149DMPNY85PAR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Nasoya Foods Usa Llc, Ayer
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $42,947.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000308710 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Bradford Industries, Lowell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N,N-Dimethylformamide, Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Lead and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 34,190 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01852BRDFR75ROG (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Entegris Inc, Bedford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Reports carcinogens. 29,631 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0173WNTGRS9CRSB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Majilite Manufacturing Inc, Dracut
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N,N-Dimethylformamide, Toluene. Reports carcinogens. 25,802 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 01826MJLTM153BR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Murphy Waste Oil Service, Woburn
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $33,688.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000613934 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8

Correctional facilities

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

Mci Concord Dept Of Correction, Concord
EPA FRS registry ID
110009588650
Wastewater permit
Yes, 10 quarters in noncompliance
EPA detailed facility report
Middlesex House Of Correction, North Billerica
EPA FRS registry ID
110001956303
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report
Federal Medical Center, Natick
EPA FRS registry ID
110003500195
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Mwra Prison Point, Cambridge
EPA FRS registry ID
110024333675
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Northeast Correctional Center, Concord
EPA FRS registry ID
110024339054
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Federal Medical Center Fbop, Devens
EPA FRS registry ID
110024358602
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report
Federal Medical Center Garage, Ayer
EPA FRS registry ID
110064158995
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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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