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Kennebec County, Maine: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Kennebec County is 166.8 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.7 times the U.S. rate and Bladder deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 556 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (110), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (104), Brownfield property (74). 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: 44.4292, -69.7881.

How this county ranks in Maine

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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 Kennebec 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	7.7	4.6	1.67xSignificant	6 to 9.8	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	6.3	4.1	1.54xSignificant	4.8 to 8.2	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	28.3	18.7	1.51xSignificant	24.9 to 32	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	73.6	51.8	1.42xSignificant	68.1 to 79.3	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41	30.2	1.36xSignificant	37 to 45.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	18	13.9	1.29xSignificant	15.3 to 21.1	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.5	2	1.25x	1.5 to 3.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	13.9	11.3	1.23xSignificant	11.6 to 16.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	166.8	143.2	1.16xSignificant	158.5 to 175.4	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	27	23.8	1.13x	23.4 to 31	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	18.6	16.4	1.13x	11 to 29.5	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	505.2	453.4	1.11xSignificant	490.1 to 520.8	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.6	6.2	1.06x	4.8 to 8.8	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	7	6.6	1.06x	5.3 to 9.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.5	18.5	1.05x	16.6 to 22.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15	14.5	1.03x	12.4 to 18.1	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.7	2.7	1x	1.7 to 4.1	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	13	13	1x	10.4 to 16.1	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.7	17.9	0.99x	15 to 20.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.5	6.6	0.98x	4.9 to 8.4	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.4	4.8	0.92x	3.2 to 6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.7	8.7	0.89x	6 to 9.8	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.8	4.4	0.86x	2.6 to 5.5	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	4.8	5.7	0.84x	3.4 to 6.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.2	3.4	0.65x	1.4 to 3.5	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 Kennebec County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,352.7	9,842.6	-5%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.1	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	55.1	59.8	-8%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.1	6.2	-1%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	105.6	96.9	+9%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	44.2	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.

Formaldehyde12.28 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.04 per million
Naphthalene1.7 per million
Acetaldehyde1.62 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 311 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 34, peak 96.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing110
NPDES wastewater discharge permit104
Brownfield property74
Air permit holder (minor source)59
Gas station (mapped facility)55
Small hazardous waste generator34
Combined sewer overflow outfall29
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)19
Industrial wastewater discharge19
Large hazardous waste generator10
Hydroelectric plant7
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)6
Airfield5
Hazardous waste transporter4
TRI reporting facility4
EPA air quality monitor3
Heliport3
Public airport2
Commercial airport2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Solar power plant2
Major air pollution source1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Superfund (NPL) site1

Highest-severity records

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

Winthrop Landfill, Winthrop
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 35.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MED980504435 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Kenway Composites, Augusta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 42,302 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04330KNWYC681RI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Southport Yachts Llc, Gardiner
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 37,473 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0433WSTHPR65RIV (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Kennebec Wastewater Treatment Facility, Waterville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000732994 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Kenway Corporation, Augusta
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000314525 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Southport Yachts, Llc, Gardiner
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070049952 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Pike Industries Inc. - Sidney, Sidney
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 4 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0433WBLRCK177LY (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Huhtamaki Inc, Waterville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 04903HHTMK242CO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Augusta Wastewater Treatment Facility, Augusta
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000916251 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Bio-Renewable Fuels, China
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041848294 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Alfond Center For Health, Augusta
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056318925 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Blue Rock Industries (Pike Industries), Sidney
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008437236 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.1
Kennebec Wastewater Treatment Facility, Waterville
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110000732994 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Governor Hill Fish Hatchery, Augusta
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009913585 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Alternative Manufacturing Inc, Winthrop
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022438432 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:001 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:003 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:005 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:006 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:007 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:008 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:012 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:017 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:019 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Greater Augusta Utility District, Augusta
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit ME0100013:020 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
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 Kennebec County

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