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Lancaster County, Nebraska: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Lancaster County is 138.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 972 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Air permit holder (minor source) (232), Rail grade crossing (178), Gas station (mapped facility) (129). 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: 40.7845, -96.6873.

How this county ranks in Nebraska

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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 Lancaster County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.7	2	1.35x	2 to 3.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.7	4.6	1.24x	4.6 to 6.9	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	4.5	3.7	1.22x	3.6 to 5.6	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.7	4.8	1.19x	4.6 to 7	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	14.6	13	1.12x	12.8 to 16.7	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.6	4.1	1.12x	3.6 to 5.8	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.1	5.7	1.07x	5 to 7.4	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.5	4.4	1.02x	3.5 to 5.6	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.3	6.2	1.02x	5.1 to 7.6	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.9	17.9	1x	15.9 to 20.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	138.2	143.2	0.97x	132.7 to 143.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.2	3.4	0.94x	2.4 to 4.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	28.4	30.2	0.94x	26 to 31	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	47.8	51.8	0.92x	44.6 to 51.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.3	11.3	0.91x	8.9 to 11.9	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	16.6	18.7	0.89x	14.7 to 18.6	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	398.1	453.4	0.88x	388.6 to 407.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	12.7	14.5	0.88x	11 to 14.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	11.7	13.9	0.84x	10.2 to 13.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15.5	18.5	0.84x	13.7 to 17.6	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	19.7	23.8	0.83x	17.6 to 22	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	4.9	6.6	0.74x	3.9 to 6.1	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2	2.7	0.74x	1.4 to 2.8	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	6.3	8.7	0.72x	5.2 to 7.6	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	4.1	6.6	0.62x	3.2 to 5.1	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	9.5	16.4	0.58x	6.4 to 13.7	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 Lancaster County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,251.7	9,842.6	-36%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	79.1	75.3	+5%	years
Child mortality	38.5	59.8	-36%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.2	6.2	-16%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	53.8	96.9	-45%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	13.9	28.6	-51%	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.

Formaldehyde16.54 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.9 per million
Acetaldehyde1.42 per million
Naphthalene1.24 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 281 days: 240 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 37, peak 87.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Air permit holder (minor source)232
Rail grade crossing178
Gas station (mapped facility)129
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)90
Small hazardous waste generator80
NPDES wastewater discharge permit79
Brownfield property32
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)29
Large hazardous waste generator26
TRI reporting facility25
Major air pollution source17
Public airport8
Large greenhouse gas emitter7
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)7
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)5
Hazardous waste transporter5
Heliport5
Landfill (mapped facility)4
Gas power plant3
EPA air quality monitor2
Coal power plant2
Wind power plant2
Commercial airport1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Oil-fired 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.

Adm, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Barium And Barium Compounds, Mercury compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,724,960 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68507RCHRD78THA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.6
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp Usa, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $77,482.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447963 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.3
Veyance Technologies Inc, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $153,174.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447838 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp Usa, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Certain glycol ethers, Triglycidyl isocyanurate, Sodium nitrite and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 683,321 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68524KWSKM6600N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Nebraska Public Power District Sheldon Station, Hallam
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium And Barium Compounds, Hydrogen fluoride, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Manganese And Manganese Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 644,970 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68368NBRSK4500W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Molex Llc, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1-Bromopropane, Nickel compounds, Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Antimony compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 169,694 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68521MLXNC700KI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Archer Daniels Midland Company - Lincoln, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $75,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002382680 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Contitech Usa Llc, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Zinc compounds, Diisononyl Phthalates (DINP) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 111,940 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68501GDYRT4021N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Schneider Electric Usa, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Phenol, Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Zinc compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 59,296 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68512SQRDC1717C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Lincoln Industries Inc., Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Zinc compounds, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 13,011 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68522LNCLN600WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Deeter Foundry, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $18,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000615460 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.4
Lincoln Industries, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $40,957.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000847745 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.4
Tri-Con Industries Ltd, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates, Toluene-2,6-diisocyanate, Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate, Toluene diisocyanate (mixed isomers). Reports carcinogens. 4,803 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68524TRCNN4000N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Neenah Foundry Co Lincoln Operations, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 4,192 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68507DTRFN5945N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Lester Electrical, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Lead, Diisocyanates, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 1,895 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68522LSTRL625WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp Usa, Lincoln
Major air pollution source. Penalties $77,482.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447963 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Farmland Foods Inc (Cook'S Ham), Lincoln
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447874 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Veyance Technologies Inc, Lincoln
Major air pollution source. Penalties $153,174.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447838 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp Usa, Lincoln
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $77,482.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447963 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp Usa, Lincoln
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $77,482.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447963 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Nppd Sheldon Station, Hallam
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447785 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Sheldon, Hallam
Coal power plant.
Record ID 2277 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.2
Les-Terry Bundy Generating Station, Lincoln
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 15,434 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68517LSSLT777BL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Schneider Electric, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002382519 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.2
Molex Inc., Lincoln
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447909 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.2

Correctional facilities

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

Nebraska State Penitentiary, Lincoln
EPA FRS registry ID
110001511098
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Lancaster County

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