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Berrien County, Michigan: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Berrien County is 158.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 651 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (120), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (120), Gas station (mapped facility) (81). 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: 42.0031, -86.3888.

How this county ranks in Michigan

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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 Berrien County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	5.8	4.6	1.26x	4.5 to 7.4	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.5	2	1.25x	1.6 to 3.8	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	37.3	30.2	1.24xSignificant	33.9 to 41.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	63.8	51.8	1.23xSignificant	59.2 to 68.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.6	5.7	1.16x	5.2 to 8.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4.1	3.7	1.11x	3 to 5.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	158.2	143.2	1.1xSignificant	150.8 to 165.8	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4.5	4.1	1.1x	3.4 to 5.9	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	15.6	14.5	1.08x	13.1 to 18.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.1	4.8	1.06x	3.8 to 6.7	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.6	4.4	1.05x	3.3 to 6.3	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	18.4	17.9	1.03x	15.8 to 21.4	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.2	6.2	1x	4.7 to 8.1	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	453.3	453.4	1x	440.2 to 466.8	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.2	18.5	0.98x	15.7 to 21.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.6	13.9	0.98x	11.5 to 16	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11	11.3	0.97x	9.2 to 13.2	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	18.2	18.7	0.97x	15.8 to 20.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6	6.6	0.91x	4.7 to 7.6	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	5.9	6.6	0.89x	4.5 to 7.7	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	14.4	16.4	0.88x	8.6 to 22.5	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.9	3.4	0.85x	2 to 4.2	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.2	2.7	0.81x	1.4 to 3.4	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	6.9	8.7	0.79x	5.5 to 8.7	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10.2	13	0.78x	8 to 12.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	16.8	23.8	0.71x	14.2 to 19.7	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 Berrien County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,398.5	9,842.6	-5%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	62.6	59.8	+5%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	7.2	6.2	+16%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	80.7	96.9	-17%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	25.7	28.6	-10%	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.

Formaldehyde14.73 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde1.34 per million
Benzene1.03 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 262 days: 212 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 41, peak 147.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing120
NPDES wastewater discharge permit120
Gas station (mapped facility)81
Industrial wastewater discharge71
Air permit holder (minor source)62
Brownfield property39
Small hazardous waste generator37
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)24
TRI reporting facility21
Major air pollution source11
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)10
Large hazardous waste generator9
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)9
Public airport8
Landfill (mapped facility)5
Large greenhouse gas emitter4
Combined sewer overflow outfall3
Heliport3
Hydroelectric plant3
Superfund (NPL) site3
Biomass power plant2
EPA air quality monitor1
Commercial airport1
Hazardous waste transporter1
Nuclear power plant1
Solar power plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

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

Aircraft Components (D & L Sales), Benton Harbor
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MI0001119106 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Electrovoice, Buchanan
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 35.4. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MID005068143 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Bendix Corp./Allied Automotive, St. Joseph
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 37.3. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MID005107222 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Jvis Mfg., Llc, Benton Harbor
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009394654 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.3
Ncp Coatings Llc, Niles
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Butyl alcohol, Methanol, Xylene (mixed isomers), Certain glycol ethers and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 65,985 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49120NLSCH225FO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Mplx Terminals Llc - Niles Mi Terminal, Niles
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Toluene, Benzene, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 22,637 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49120MRTHN2216S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Jvis Manufacturing Llc, Benton Harbor
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl isobutyl ketone, Xylene (mixed isomers). Reports carcinogens. 18,658 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49022TLNTC1285N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Sandvik Steel Co, Benton Harbor
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409022 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Intermet Corp, Stevensville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409665 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.4
Special-Lite Inc. -, Benton Harbor
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 4,033 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4902WSPCLL1394E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Modineer Plant 10, Niles
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Aluminum (fume or dust), Lead, Phosphorus (yellow or white) and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,043 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4912WMDNRP2121W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Leco Corp, Saint Joseph
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409399 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Vail Rubber Works Inc, Saint Joseph
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409415 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Tech Nickel Inc, Benton Harbor
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $12,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409059 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Robert Bosch Corporation Chassis Division, Saint Joseph
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409406 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Gast Mfg Corp, Benton Harbor
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000593206 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
French Paper Llc, Niles
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $12,150.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000733056 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Vast Sumitec Inc, Benton Harbor
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409013 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Se Berrien County Landfill, Buchanan
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001847789 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Ncp Coatings Llc, Niles
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409638 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Forest Lawn Landfill, Three Oaks
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001847761 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Orchard Hill Landfill, Watervliet
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001847770 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
French Paper Llc, Niles
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: C.I. Direct Blue 218. 10,166 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4912WFRNCH1FREN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Tech Nickel Inc, Benton Harbor
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Nickel compounds. Reports carcinogens. 94 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49023TCHNC1200C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Sandvik Steel Co, Benton Harbor
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409022 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6

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 Berrien County

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