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York County, Maine: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in York County is 148.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.6 times the U.S. rate and Pancreas deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 762 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (184), Brownfield property (98), Air permit holder (minor source) (92). One correctional facility operates in the county. 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: 43.4371, -70.6647.

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 York County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	8.2	4.6	1.78xSignificant	6.9 to 9.8	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	6.1	3.7	1.65xSignificant	5 to 7.5	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	26.3	18.7	1.41xSignificant	23.9 to 29	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	8.7	6.2	1.4xSignificant	7.1 to 10.6	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.6	4.4	1.27x	4.4 to 7	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	5.2	4.1	1.27x	4.1 to 6.4	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	28.7	23.8	1.21xSignificant	25.9 to 31.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	62.3	51.8	1.2xSignificant	58.6 to 66.2	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	19.7	16.4	1.2x	13.3 to 28.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	13.4	11.3	1.19xSignificant	11.7 to 15.3	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	15.9	13.9	1.14xSignificant	14.1 to 18	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	33.6	30.2	1.11xSignificant	30.9 to 36.5	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	5.1 to 7.7	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	489.9	453.4	1.08xSignificant	478.6 to 501.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.5	14.5	1.07x	13.5 to 17.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	148.6	143.2	1.04x	142.7 to 154.7	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	12.9	13	0.99x	10.8 to 15.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.1	17.9	0.96x	15.1 to 19.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.3 to 2.7	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.2	18.5	0.93x	15.1 to 19.6	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.4	4.8	0.92x	3.4 to 5.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.5	6.6	0.83x	4.5 to 6.8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.7	3.4	0.79x	2 to 3.7	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	5.2	6.6	0.79x	4.1 to 6.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	6.6	8.7	0.76x	5.4 to 8.1	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	1.8	2.7	0.67x	1.2 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 York County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,330.5	9,842.6	-26%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.6	75.3	+4%	years
Child mortality	40.4	59.8	-32%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.7	6.2	-8%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	105.9	96.9	+9%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	39	28.6	+36%	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.

Formaldehyde13.25 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.03 per million
Naphthalene1.71 per million
Acetaldehyde1.62 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 353 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 34, peak 169.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit184
Brownfield property98
Air permit holder (minor source)92
Gas station (mapped facility)79
Small hazardous waste generator50
Rail grade crossing50
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)46
Industrial wastewater discharge38
Large hazardous waste generator18
Combined sewer overflow outfall16
Landfill (mapped facility)16
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)16
TRI reporting facility12
Public airport10
Heliport6
Airfield5
Hazardous waste transporter5
Hydroelectric plant4
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Major air pollution source2
EPA air quality monitor2
Commercial airport1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Solar power plant1
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.

Saco Municipal Landfill, Saco
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 29.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MED980504393 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Us Navy Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Butyl alcohol, Xylene (mixed isomers), Nickel, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 55,078 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 03904PRTSMSEAVE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Thomas & Betts, Sanford
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $46,550.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018906031 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Polyvantis Sanford Llc, Sanford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl methacrylate, Methyl acrylate. Reports carcinogens. 15,701 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04073CYRNDINDUS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Pratt & Whitney, North Berwick
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium, Cobalt. Reports carcinogens. 1,838 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 03906PRTTWROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Gvs N.A., Sanford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol. 29,576 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04073THMSBCOMMU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Roehm America Llc - Sanford, Sanford
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000603026 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Downeast Energy, Kennebunk
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Toluene, Benzene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 165 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0404WDWNST14DEP (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Wells Wastewater Treatment Facility, Wells
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002052055 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Berwick Wastewater Treatment Facility, Berwick
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006618384 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040852459 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Gd Ots Inc, Saco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Manganese compounds. Reports carcinogens. 75 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04072SCDFN291NO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Fiber Materials Inc, Biddeford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens. 69 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04005FBRMT5MORI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Fiber Materials, Biddeford
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $18,571.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007273351 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Sanford Wastewater Treatment Facility, Sanford
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006618758 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Intermat, Biddeford
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,739.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003557561 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Pike Industries Inc. - Wells, Wells
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 23 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0409WPKNDS81BYD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Pratt & Whitney, North Berwick
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000314204 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Valmet Inc, Biddeford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 15 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04005MTSPP516AL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
Biddeford Wastewater Treatment Facility, Biddeford
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002045288 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Northeast Coating Technologies, Kennebunk
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $140,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003555698 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Thomas & Betts, Sanford
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $46,550.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018906031 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Intermat, Biddeford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens. 4 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 04005NTRMT389HI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.1
Parker Hannifin Corp Pneumatic Div Kittery Maine, Kittery
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000763077 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Kyocera Avx Components (Biddeford) Corporation, Biddeford
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012516269 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5

Correctional facilities

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

York County Jail, Alfred
EPA FRS registry ID
110039680093
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for York 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 York 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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