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Wayne County, Michigan: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Wayne County is 160.4 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 and Stomach deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 4,515 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Gas station (mapped facility) (838), Brownfield property (583), Rail grade crossing (514). One correctional facility operates 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: 42.2436, -83.3337.

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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 Wayne County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Stomach	New cases	8.5	6.6	1.29xSignificant	7.9 to 9.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	65.9	51.8	1.27xSignificant	64.4 to 67.5	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	37.1	30.2	1.23xSignificant	36 to 38.3	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	3.3	2.7	1.22xSignificant	3 to 3.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	16.2	13.9	1.17xSignificant	15.4 to 17	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	5.3	4.6	1.15xSignificant	4.8 to 5.7	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.9	11.3	1.14xSignificant	12.2 to 13.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	160.4	143.2	1.12xSignificant	158 to 162.9	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.6	8.7	1.1xSignificant	9 to 10.2	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	20.4	18.7	1.09xSignificant	19.5 to 21.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7.1	6.6	1.08x	6.6 to 7.6	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	481.9	453.4	1.06xSignificant	477.7 to 486.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	18	17.9	1.01x	17.2 to 18.8	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.1	4.1	1x	3.8 to 4.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.4	3.4	1x	3.1 to 3.8	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	5.7	5.7	1x	5.2 to 6.2	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.8	4.8	1x	4.4 to 5.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	Deaths	0.5	0.5	1x	0.4 to 0.7	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	12.8	13	0.98x	12.1 to 13.6	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.6	3.7	0.97x	3.3 to 4	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	13.9	14.5	0.96x	13.2 to 14.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.7	18.5	0.96x	16.9 to 18.5	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	Deaths	1.7	1.9	0.89x	1.1 to 2.4	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.3	6.2	0.85x	4.9 to 5.8	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.7	4.4	0.84x	3.3 to 4.1	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	13.4	16.4	0.82x	11.7 to 15.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.3	2	0.65x	1.1 to 1.6	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	13.8	23.8	0.58x	13.1 to 14.5	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 Wayne County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	12,684.2	9,842.6	+29%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72.9	75.3	-3%	years
Child mortality	80.5	59.8	+35%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	9.6	6.2	+55%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	111.5	96.9	+15%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	49.3	28.6	+72%	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.

Formaldehyde15.79 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Naphthalene2.11 per million
Benzene1.69 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 132 good, 11 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 54, peak 156.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

4,515 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Gas station (mapped facility)838
Brownfield property583
Rail grade crossing514
NPDES wastewater discharge permit453
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)429
Air permit holder (minor source)353
Small hazardous waste generator330
Industrial wastewater discharge206
Scrapyard (mapped facility)172
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)134
TRI reporting facility110
Large hazardous waste generator86
Combined sewer overflow outfall72
Major air pollution source50
Hazardous waste transporter44
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)32
Large greenhouse gas emitter28
Landfill (mapped facility)21
Heliport16
EPA air quality monitor14
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)7
Gas power plant5
Commercial airport4
Oil-fired power plant3
Solar power plant3
Biomass power plant2
Superfund (NPL) site2
Public airport1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Coal power plant1
Hydroelectric 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.

Fca Us Llc - Detroit Assembly Complex (N2155), Detroit
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $226,252.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000406837 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Republic Services - Michigan Disposal Waste Treatment Plant And Landfill - Belleville Facility, Belleville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000497132 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Marathon Petroleum Co Lp, Detroit
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,875.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000554828 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Ees Coke Battery L.L.C. (P0408), Detroit
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $100,000,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070374301 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
McLouth Steel Corp, Trenton
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MID017422304 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
DSC McLouth Steel Gibraltar Plant, Gibraltar
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MIN000510362 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Wayne Disposal Inc, Belleville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Asbestos (friable), Zinc compounds, Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Polychlorinated biphenyls and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 48,985,494 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48111WYNDS49350 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Republic Industrial & Energy Solutions Llc, Romulus
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Nitric acid, Phenol, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 1,438,858 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4817WRPBLC2847C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corp - Dearborn Works, Dearborn
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $196,510.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060497001 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.9
Basf Corp - Wyandotte Facility, Wyandotte
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $170,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000494019 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.9
Republic Industrial And Energy Solutions, Romulus
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $67,132.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002357048 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.8
Ees Coke Battery Llc, River Rouge
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Benzene, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Hydrogen sulfide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,214,469 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48218SCKBT14ZUG (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Ford Motor Co Dearborn Truck Plant, Dearborn
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, n-Butyl alcohol, Xylene (mixed isomers), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,980,072 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48121FRDM23001M (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Ford Motor Co Rouge Complex, Dearborn
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110050297717 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.1
Fca Us Jefferson North Assembly Plant, Detroit
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Certain glycol ethers, Ethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 708,851 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48215CHRYL2101C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Ford Motor Co Michigan Assembly Plant, Wayne
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, n-Butyl alcohol, Methyl isobutyl ketone and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 668,888 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48184FRDMT38303 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Marathon Petroleum Co Lp - Michigan Refining Div, Detroit
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Propylene, Hydrogen cyanide, Ammonia, Hydrogen sulfide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 664,933 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48217MRTHN1300S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Ajax Metal Processing Inc. (B5830), Detroit
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $19,375.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000406551 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Eq Detroit Inc, Detroit
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, Maleic anhydride, Certain glycol ethers, Hydrogen fluoride and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 4,463 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48211SLCTY1923F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
American Jetway Corporation, Wayne
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011807580 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.8
Fitzgerald Finishing Llc, Detroit
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000494037 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
Detroit Assembly Complex Mack, Detroit
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, Xylene (mixed isomers), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Methyl isobutyl ketone and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 157,678 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4821WDTRTS4STJE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Flat Rock
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Certain glycol ethers, n-Butyl alcohol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 120,573 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48134MZDMT1MAZD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Us Steel Great Lakes Works - Ecorse Facility, Ecorse
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000497141 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.4
General Motors Gm Va Factory Zero Assembly Plant, Detroit
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Methyl isobutyl ketone and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 108,651 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 48211CDLLC2500E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4

Correctional facilities

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

Mi Dept/Corrections, Detroit
EPA FRS registry ID
110003670929
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Wayne 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 Wayne 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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