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Plymouth County, Massachusetts: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Plymouth County is 142.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Brain & nervous system deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,998 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (618), Industrial wastewater discharge (418), Air permit holder (minor source) (258). 5 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 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: 41.9665, -70.8605.

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 Plymouth County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	6.6	4.6	1.43xSignificant	5.8 to 7.5	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	5.3	3.7	1.43xSignificant	4.6 to 6.1	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	8.8	6.2	1.42xSignificant	7.8 to 9.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.7	4.4	1.3xSignificant	4.9 to 6.6	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	23.8	18.7	1.27xSignificant	22.2 to 25.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	63.6	51.8	1.23xSignificant	61.1 to 66.2	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.6	4.1	1.12x	3.9 to 5.3	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	14.4	13	1.11x	13 to 16	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.2	2	1.1x	1.8 to 2.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	490.2	453.4	1.08xSignificant	482.8 to 497.7	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.9	13.9	1.07x	13.7 to 16.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.5	18.5	1.05x	18 to 21.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.1	14.5	1.04x	13.8 to 16.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.9	5.7	1.04x	5.2 to 6.8	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.6	6.6	1x	5.7 to 7.5	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	142.9	143.2	1x	139.1 to 146.9	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	8.6	8.7	0.99x	7.6 to 9.6	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	16.1	16.4	0.98x	12.6 to 20.3	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.5	17.9	0.98x	16.1 to 19	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.6	4.8	0.96x	4 to 5.4	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.3	6.6	0.95x	5.5 to 7.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	28.7	30.2	0.95x	27.1 to 30.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	10.6	11.3	0.94x	9.6 to 11.7	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	21.5	23.8	0.9x	20 to 23.1	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3	3.4	0.88x	2.4 to 3.6	2020-2024
Thyroid	Deaths	0.4	0.5	0.8x	0.2 to 0.6	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.1	2.7	0.78x	1.7 to 2.7	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 Plymouth County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,525.1	9,842.6	-34%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.8	75.3	+5%	years
Child mortality	29.8	59.8	-50%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	3.4	6.2	-45%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	79.9	96.9	-18%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	37.6	28.6	+31%	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.

Formaldehyde12.91 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.02 per million
Benzene1.29 per million
Acetaldehyde1.16 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 308 good, 1 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 37, peak 108.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,998 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit618
Industrial wastewater discharge418
Air permit holder (minor source)258
Small hazardous waste generator258
Gas station (mapped facility)108
Rail grade crossing85
Brownfield property49
Solar power plant42
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)39
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)18
Large hazardous waste generator17
TRI reporting facility16
Scrapyard (mapped facility)10
Hazardous waste transporter8
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)7
Heliport7
Landfill (mapped facility)7
Correctional facility (prison or jail)5
Wind power plant5
Public airport4
Large greenhouse gas emitter4
Major air pollution source3
Airfield3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Commercial airport2
EPA air quality monitor1
Crematorium (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
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.

Holcim Solutions & Products Us Llc, Rockland
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Dichloromethane, n-Hexane, Toluene, Cyclohexane and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 76,549 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02370TCCNTAIRST (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
3m, Rockland
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $16,445.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012466447 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
National Coating Corp, Rockland
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Phenol, Methanol, Formaldehyde. Reports carcinogens. 10,645 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02370NTNLC254BE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
3m Co, Rockland
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Toluene, n-Hexane. 31,359 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02370VNTRT30COM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Marion Wastewater Treatment Facility, Marion
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002047311 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Brockton Advanced Water Reclamation Fac, Brockton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110016496120 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Itw Tacc, Rockland
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000581219 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Wareham Water Pollution Control Facility, Wareham
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000732798 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Tech-Etch Inc, Plymouth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Hydrogen fluoride, Chlorine, Copper and 3 more. 3,756 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02360TCHTC45ALD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.7
Scituate Wastewater Treatment Plant, Scituate
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028220985 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Scituate Concrete Pipe, Scituate
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 12 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02066SCTTC1BUCK (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
Tech-Etch Inc, Plymouth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000491888 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
National Coating Corp, Rockland
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064545899 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Hull Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hull
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024318594 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Electropolishing Systems Inc, Plymouth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid. 500 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02360LCTRP24ALD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.1
Pavestone - Boston Ma Plant, Middleboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Mercury, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 4 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0234WPVSTN18CWA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Russelectric Inc, Hingham
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $243,092.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000310609 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
3m, Rockland
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $16,445.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012466447 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Plymouth Wastewater Treatment Facility, Plymouth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025329151 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Norwell
Hazardous waste transporter. Penalties $155,975.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040474466 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Entergy Nuclear Generation Company, Plymouth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000736810 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Scituate Concrete Pipe, Scituate
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001940062 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.7
Avedis Zildjian Company, Norwell
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000762611 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.7
Avedis Zildjian Co., Norwell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper. 146 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02061VDSZL22LON (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.7
Gem Gravure Co Inc, Hanover
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001949090 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.6

Correctional facilities

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

Leo L. Dubois Wpcf - Bridgewater Correction Complex, Bridgewater
EPA FRS registry ID
110071436451
Wastewater permit
Yes, 12 quarters in noncompliance
EPA detailed facility report
Bridgewater Correctional Complex, Bridgewater
EPA FRS registry ID
110010625546
Water system
MA4042001
Health-based violations
2 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
14
Contaminants cited
Coliform (TCR)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Plymouth Correctional Facility, Plymouth
EPA FRS registry ID
110002000628
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Camp Wing Duxbury Stockade-Dining Hall Treatment, Duxbury
EPA FRS registry ID
110051850797
Water system
MA4082001
Health-based violations
0 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
6
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Leo L. Dubois Wpcf - Bridgewater Correction Complex, Bridgewater
EPA FRS registry ID
110070204573
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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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