MO / county FIPS 29189 / county research

St. Louis County, Missouri: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in St. Louis County is 146.4 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 1.1 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,632 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (929), Air permit holder (minor source) (545), Brownfield property (342). One correctional facility operates 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 40 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: 38.6405, -90.5163.

How this county ranks in Missouri

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

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 St. Louis County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.7	17.9	1.16xSignificant	19.6 to 21.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	57.2	51.8	1.1xSignificant	55.4 to 59	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.2	2	1.1x	1.8 to 2.6	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	20.2	18.5	1.09xSignificant	19.1 to 21.3	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.6	30.2	1.08xSignificant	31.3 to 34	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	482.1	453.4	1.06xSignificant	476.6 to 487.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.7	13.9	1.06x	13.8 to 15.7	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.3	14.5	1.06x	14.3 to 16.3	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.5	6.2	1.05x	5.9 to 7.3	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.1	16.4	1.04x	14.5 to 20	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.5	3.4	1.03x	3 to 4	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.8	3.7	1.03x	3.3 to 4.3	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.5	4.4	1.02x	4 to 5.1	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	146.4	143.2	1.02xSignificant	143.5 to 149.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.7	4.6	1.02x	4.2 to 5.3	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.8	5.7	1.02x	5.3 to 6.5	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24.2	23.8	1.02x	23 to 25.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11.4	11.3	1.01x	10.6 to 12.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	13	13	1x	12 to 14	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.5	6.6	0.98x	5.9 to 7.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.7	4.8	0.98x	4.2 to 5.3	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4	4.1	0.98x	3.5 to 4.5	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.4	6.6	0.97x	5.8 to 7.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	8.3	8.7	0.95x	7.7 to 9.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	17.1	18.7	0.91x	16.2 to 18.2	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.2	2.7	0.81x	1.8 to 2.6	2020-2024
Thyroid	Deaths	0.4	0.5	0.8x	0.3 to 0.6	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 St. Louis County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,306.6	9,842.6	-5%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.3	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	63.9	59.8	+7%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6	6.2	-3%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	108.3	96.9	+12%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	40.7	28.6	+42%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde22.89 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Naphthalene2.84 per million
Acetaldehyde2.16 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

No EPA air quality monitor reports daily AQI for this county.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,632 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit929
Air permit holder (minor source)545
Brownfield property342
Small hazardous waste generator273
Rail grade crossing169
Combined sewer overflow outfall78
Industrial wastewater discharge77
Large hazardous waste generator61
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)55
TRI reporting facility44
Hazardous waste transporter20
Major air pollution source11
Heliport9
Large greenhouse gas emitter6
EPA air quality monitor4
Superfund (NPL) site4
Commercial airport2
Public airport1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Coal 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.

Westlake Landfill, Bridgeton
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 29.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MOD079900932 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Ellisville Site, Ellisville
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MOD980633010 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
St. Louis Airport/Hazelwood Interim Storage/Futura Coatings Co., St. Louis County
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 38.3. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MOD980633176 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Valley Park TCE, Valley Park
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 35.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MOD980968341 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Ameren Missouri Meramec Energy Center, Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Barium And Barium Compounds, Hydrogen fluoride, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 326,608 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63129MRMCP8200F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Polynt Composites Usa Inc, Valley Park
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000440620 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
The Boeing Co, Hazelwood
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000868446 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Beltservice Corp, Earth City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Trichloroethylene, Toluene. Reports carcinogens. 87,141 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63045BLTSR4143R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Polynt Composites Usa Inc., Valley Park
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylbenzene, Certain glycol ethers, Toluene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 81,224 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63088NLCHM3RDST (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
The Boeing Co, Berkeley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Trichloroethylene, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Toluene, Nitric acid and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 47,437 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63145MCDNNLINDB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Aerospace Composites Center Llc, Hazelwood
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Trichloroethylene, Hydrogen fluoride, Copper and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 36,555 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63042GKNRS142JS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Pro-Tect Manufacturing Inc, Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl isobutyl ketone. Reports carcinogens. 31,598 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63133PRTCT1251F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
St Louis Marble Co, Fenton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 19,956 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63026STLSM1565F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Buckeye International Inc., Maryland Heights
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Vinyl acetate, Methyl methacrylate, Butyl acrylate, Styrene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 9,070 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63043THDVS2700W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Azz Galvanizing Services-St. Louis, Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 8,501 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63132BYLSG1461K (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Beltservice Corp, Earth City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000440381 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.4
Iesi Mo Champs Landfill, Maryland Heights
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017980274 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.1
Chemsico, Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Dimethylamine dicamba, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Certain glycol ethers, Oxyfluorfen and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,707 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63114CHMSC8494C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Meramec, St. Louis
Coal power plant.
Record ID 2104 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.9
Control Devices, Fenton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Zinc compounds, Chromium, Nickel and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 740 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 6302WCNTRL1555L (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
St. Louis Cold Drawn, Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Manganese compounds, Manganese, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 731 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 6313WSTLSC16PER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Missouri Metals A Div Of Samuel Son & Co. (Usa) Inc., Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid. 61,460 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63132GGKTR9970P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Jd Streett & Co, Saint Louis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Benzene, Ethylene glycol, Mercury. Reports carcinogens. 674 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63125STRTT1RIVE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Carlisle Polyurethane Systems, Maryland Heights
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Diisocyanates, Toluene diisocyanate (mixed isomers), Polycyclic aromatic compounds and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 528 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 63043MRCHM2500A (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Lighthouse For The Blind, Berkeley
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $154,060.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017984047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.6

Correctional facilities

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

Missouri Eastern Correctional Center, Pacific
EPA FRS registry ID
110013028179
Water system
MO6069017
Health-based violations
1 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
8
Contaminants cited
Groundwater Rule
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for St. Louis County

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

Scan an address in St. Louis County View on the heat map All Missouri counties