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Erie County, New York: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Erie County is 147.5 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Pancreas deaths at 1.1 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.1 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 3,110 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (829), Large hazardous waste generator (445), Air permit holder (minor source) (420). 5 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 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: 42.7681, -78.6674.

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 Erie County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Bladder	New cases	25.4	18.7	1.36xSignificant	24.2 to 26.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	18.4	14.5	1.27xSignificant	17.3 to 19.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	30.1	23.8	1.26xSignificant	28.7 to 31.6	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	63.4	51.8	1.22xSignificant	61.5 to 65.4	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	16.5	13.9	1.19xSignificant	15.5 to 17.5	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	7.8	6.6	1.18xSignificant	7.1 to 8.5	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	15.2	13	1.17xSignificant	14.1 to 16.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.4	18.5	1.16xSignificant	20.2 to 22.6	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	521.8	453.4	1.15xSignificant	516 to 527.7	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	3	2.7	1.11x	2.6 to 3.5	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.1	4.6	1.11x	4.5 to 5.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.3	11.3	1.09xSignificant	11.5 to 13.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.4	30.2	1.07xSignificant	31 to 33.8	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.7	4.4	1.07x	4.1 to 5.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.1	4.8	1.06x	4.6 to 5.7	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.5	6.2	1.05x	5.8 to 7.2	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	147.5	143.2	1.03xSignificant	144.5 to 150.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	18.4	17.9	1.03x	17.3 to 19.5	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.7	3.7	1x	3.2 to 4.2	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	5.6	5.7	0.98x	5.1 to 6.3	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.6 to 2.3	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	15.4	16.4	0.94x	12.8 to 18.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3	3.4	0.88x	2.6 to 3.5	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.5	8.7	0.86x	6.8 to 8.2	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.5	4.1	0.85x	3.1 to 4	2020-2024
Thyroid	Deaths	0.4	0.5	0.8x	0.2 to 0.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	4.9	6.6	0.74x	4.3 to 5.4	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 Erie County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,237.5	9,842.6	-16%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	47.9	59.8	-20%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.2	6.2	-1%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	74.7	96.9	-23%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	34.2	28.6	+19%	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.

Formaldehyde14.03 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Benzene1.6 per million
Acetaldehyde1.45 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 233 good, 11 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 44, peak 140.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

3,110 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit829
Large hazardous waste generator445
Air permit holder (minor source)420
Small hazardous waste generator353
Rail grade crossing265
Gas station (mapped facility)240
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)163
Brownfield property129
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)70
TRI reporting facility64
Major air pollution source29
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)17
Hazardous waste transporter14
Public airport11
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)9
Scrapyard (mapped facility)8
Large greenhouse gas emitter7
Landfill (mapped facility)7
Solar power plant7
Heliport6
Correctional facility (prison or jail)5
EPA air quality monitor4
Wind power plant3
Commercial airport2
Airfield1
Biomass power plant1
Gas 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.

O-Cel-O, 3m Company, Tonawanda
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000326727 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.5
3m Co - Tonawanda, Tonawanda
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Carbon disulfide, Acetaldehyde, Diisocyanates. Reports carcinogens. 1,470,218 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14150GNRLM305SA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Islechem Llc D.B.A. Actylis Buffalo, Grand Island
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Dichloromethane, 3-Chloro-2-methyl-1-propene, n-Butyl alcohol and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 9,037 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14072XYCHM2801L (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Dupont Yerkes Plant, Buffalo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl methacrylate, Vinyl fluoride, Butyl acrylate, Zinc compounds. Reports carcinogens. 663,758 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14207DPNTYSHERI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Unicell Body Co Inc., Buffalo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Methyl methacrylate. Reports carcinogens. 169,330 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14206NCLLB575HO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Midland Asphalt Materials Inc, Tonawanda
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,460.
EPA FRS registry ID 110019375059 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Engineered Composites Inc., Buffalo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 126,127 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14206NGNRD55RBE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Derrick Corp, Cheektowaga
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Trichloroethylene, Manganese, Cobalt and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 65,756 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14225DRRCK590DU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Wieland Rolled Products N.A. Buffalo Inc., Buffalo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper And Copper Compounds, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Zinc (fume or dust), Nickel And Nickel Compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 56,410 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14207MRCNB70SAY (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Williams Advanced Materials Inc, Buffalo
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $12,016.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000327067 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.9
Crescent Marketing Dba Crescent Mfg., North Collins
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020515450 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.9
Fmc Corporation, Tonawanda
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000326718 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc., Buffalo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 12,564 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1422WBFFLC8615W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Buffalo Terminal Llc, Tonawanda
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Toluene, Benzene, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 10,383 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1415WBFFLT7GRAN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Bird Island Stp, Buffalo
Major air pollution source. Penalties $20,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001568704 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Buffalo Terminal Llc, Tonawanda
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000326736 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Univar Solutions Usa - Buffalo, Tonawanda
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Methanol, Certain glycol ethers and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,695 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14150CHMCN3709R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
United Silicone Inc, Lancaster
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Lead, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution). Reports carcinogens. 3,523 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14086NTDSL4471W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Niagara Refining Llc, Depew
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110058930796 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.2
Moog Inc, East Aurora
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $11,700.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008011490 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.2
Materion Electronics Materials, Buffalo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Lead, Silver. Reports carcinogens. 2,869 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14214WLLMS2978M (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Unifrax Manufacturing, Tonawanda
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001599850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.1
Iimak, Amherst
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Methanol, Xylene (mixed isomers). 221,598 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14228NTRNT310CO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
L D Mccauley Llc, Orchard Park
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Manganese, Copper and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,131 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 14127LDMCC3875C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Steuben Foods, Inc., Elma
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000564452 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7

Correctional facilities

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

Nys Doccs Collins/Gowanda Correctional Facility, Collins
EPA FRS registry ID
110006839699
Water system
NY1415379
Health-based violations
16 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
18
Contaminants cited
Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, Surface Water Treatment Rule, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
E C Correctional Facility, Alden
EPA FRS registry ID
110004423115
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Wende Correctional Facility, Alden
EPA FRS registry ID
110004432631
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Nys Wende Correctional Facility, Alden
EPA FRS registry ID
110019797585
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Wende Correctional Facility, Alden
EPA FRS registry ID
110072108730
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Erie 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 Erie 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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