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Albany County, New York: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Albany County is 138.1 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 1,440 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (424), Large hazardous waste generator (224), Air permit holder (minor source) (169). 2 correctional facilities operate 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 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: 42.6166, -73.9772.

How this county ranks in New York

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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 Albany County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	New cases	68	51.8	1.31xSignificant	64.4 to 71.6	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	16.6	13	1.28xSignificant	14.7 to 18.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	18.3	14.5	1.26xSignificant	16.4 to 20.4	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	22.6	18.7	1.21xSignificant	20.6 to 24.8	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	16.3	13.9	1.17xSignificant	14.6 to 18.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.4	17.9	1.14xSignificant	18.3 to 22.6	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	516	453.4	1.14xSignificant	505.7 to 526.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21	18.5	1.14xSignificant	19 to 23.2	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	5.2	4.6	1.13x	4.2 to 6.3	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	18.2	16.4	1.11x	13.2 to 24.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.4	11.3	1.1x	10.9 to 14	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4	3.7	1.08x	3.2 to 5	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25.6	23.8	1.08x	23.4 to 28	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.2	8.7	1.06x	7.9 to 10.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6	5.7	1.05x	5 to 7.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	29.6	30.2	0.98x	27.3 to 32	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	138.1	143.2	0.96x	133 to 143.3	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.3	6.6	0.95x	5.3 to 7.6	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.4 to 2.6	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	3.7	4.1	0.9x	2.9 to 4.6	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.1	4.8	0.85x	3.3 to 5.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.4	6.6	0.82x	4.5 to 6.6	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	4.9	6.2	0.79x	3.9 to 6.1	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.2	4.4	0.73x	2.5 to 4.2	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	1.9	2.7	0.7x	1.3 to 2.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.3	3.4	0.68x	1.7 to 3.1	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 Albany County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,276	9,842.6	-26%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.5	75.3	+4%	years
Child mortality	46.1	59.8	-23%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.5	6.2	-12%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	60.8	96.9	-37%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	30.1	28.6	+5%	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.

Formaldehyde15.63 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.01 per million
Acetaldehyde1.76 per million
Benzene1.62 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 250 good, 5 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 39, peak 136.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,440 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit424
Large hazardous waste generator224
Air permit holder (minor source)169
Small hazardous waste generator142
Gas station (mapped facility)115
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)112
Rail grade crossing74
Brownfield property37
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)21
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)18
TRI reporting facility18
Major air pollution source16
Hazardous waste transporter15
Solar power plant9
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)8
Scrapyard (mapped facility)6
Large greenhouse gas emitter5
Public airport4
Landfill (mapped facility)4
Hydroelectric plant4
EPA air quality monitor3
Heliport3
Gas power plant3
Correctional facility (prison or jail)2
Biomass power plant2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1

Highest-severity records

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

Norlite, Llc, Cohoes
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $264,107.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000324159 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.4
Shpp Us Llc, Selkirk
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Methanol, Styrene, Cresol (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 621,193 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12158GNRLLNORYL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.9
Holcim - Ravena Cement Plant, Ravena
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Xylene (mixed isomers), Lead And Lead Compounds, Mercury and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 253,291 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12143BLCRCROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Holcim Ravena Facility, Ravena
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056973182 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.4
U S Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $13,900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022301463 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.1
Cargill Animal Nutrition, Albany
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030919825 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Norlite Llc, Cohoes
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Methanol, Xylene (mixed isomers), Methyl isobutyl ketone and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 25,773 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12047NRLTC628SO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Global Cos Llc Albany Terminal, Albany
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, n-Hexane, Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 22,896 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12202MBLLL50CHU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Watervliet
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Phenol, Formaldehyde. Reports carcinogens. 19,436 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12189NRTNC10THA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Saint Gobain Abrasives, Watervliet
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000324453 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Norlite, Llc, Cohoes
Major air pollution source. Penalties $264,107.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000324159 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Safety-Kleen Cohoes Service Center, Cohoes
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110019416540 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.3
Shpp Us Llc, Selkirk
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $147,400.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070873844 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.3
Norlite, Llc, Cohoes
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $264,107.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000324159 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Norlite, Llc, Cohoes
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $264,107.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000324159 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed Llc, Guilderland
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030898973 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Safety-Kleen Systems Cohoes (Coh), Cohoes
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ethylene glycol, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens. 451 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12047SFTYK17GRE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Us Army - Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Chromium, Manganese, Nickel and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 386 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12189SDDSRBROAD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Zak Inc, Green Island
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001134656 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
U S Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $13,900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022301463 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Owens Corning, Feura Bush
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Lead And Lead Compounds, Cobalt and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 120 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12054WNSCRRT32S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Feura Bush Filtration Plant, Feura Bush
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006701710 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
New York State Office Of General Services, Albany
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007990781 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Safety-Kleen Cohoes Service Center, Cohoes
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110019416540 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Safety-Kleen Cohoes Service Center, Cohoes
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110019416540 (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.

Nys Dept Correctional Ser Ms4 Storm Sewers, Albany
EPA FRS registry ID
110037103951
Wastewater permit
Yes, significant noncompliance, 2 quarters in noncompliance
EPA detailed facility report
Washington Correctional-Filtration Plant (New 11/96), Albany
EPA FRS registry ID
110012913393
Water system
NY5704191
Health-based violations
1 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
98
Contaminants cited
Surface Water Treatment Rule
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Albany County

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