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Essex County, New York: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Essex County is 137.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 339 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (102), Rail grade crossing (70), Large hazardous waste generator (46). 3 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: 44.1451, -73.7488.

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 Essex County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Bladder	Deaths	6.1	4.1	1.49x	3.7 to 9.9	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	30.3	23.8	1.27xSignificant	24.1 to 37.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	23	18.7	1.23x	18.1 to 29.2	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	63.6	51.8	1.23xSignificant	55.1 to 73.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	34.9	30.2	1.16x	28.7 to 42.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.2	18.5	1.15x	16.1 to 27.8	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	5.2	4.6	1.13x	3 to 8.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.2	14.5	1.05x	10.7 to 21.2	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	448.5	453.4	0.99x	423.9 to 474.4	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	137.6	143.2	0.96x	125 to 151.5	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	11.8	13	0.91x	7.2 to 18.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	11.8	13.9	0.85x	8.2 to 16.7	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	14.4	17.9	0.8x	10.1 to 20.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	8.7	11.3	0.77x	5.8 to 12.9	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	4.7	6.6	0.71x	2.5 to 8.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	5	8.7	0.57x	3 to 8.5	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 Essex County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,205.7	9,842.6	-27%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.4	75.3	+4%	years
Child mortality	46.4	59.8	-22%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	70.7	96.9	-27%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	25.2	28.6	-12%	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.

Formaldehyde10.49 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.94 per million
Acetaldehyde1.11 per million
Benzene0.84 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 306 good, 5 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 41, peak 159.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit102
Rail grade crossing70
Large hazardous waste generator46
Gas station (mapped facility)36
Air permit holder (minor source)18
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)18
Small hazardous waste generator13
Public airport6
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Correctional facility (prison or jail)3
Heliport3
Landfill (mapped facility)3
TRI reporting facility3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
EPA air quality monitor2
Hydroelectric plant2
Major air pollution source1
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Gas power plant1
Oil-fired 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.

Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill, Ticonderoga
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ammonia, Manganese compounds, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,620,500 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 12883NTRNTSHORE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill, Ticonderoga
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000325005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.8
Federal Correctional Institution Ray Brook, Ray Brook
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 12,096 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1297WFDRLC128LD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Saranac Lake (V) Wpcp, Saranac Lake
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008080735 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Ticonderoga Sewer District#5 Wpcp, Ticonderoga
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110019069844 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill, Ticonderoga
Major air pollution source. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000325005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Federal Correctional Institute Ray Brook, Ray Brook
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007990647 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill, Ticonderoga
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000325005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill, Ticonderoga
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000325005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Crown Point Sd#1 Wwtf, Crown Point
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $20,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009824743 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Lake Placid (V) Wpcp, Lake Placid
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006621183 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
St. Armand S.D. Wwtp, Bloomingdale
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009829463 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Town Of Moriah Wwtp, Moriah
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110019700064 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Ward Pine Mill, Inc., Jay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028157802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Swiss Marine Inc, Saranac Lake
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056412797 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Willsboro Sd#1 Wwtf, Willsboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064232290 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Shm Willsboro, Llc, Willsboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,950.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070687922 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Olympic Sports Complex, Lake Placid
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067131482 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.4
Essex Sd No. 1 Wwtp, Essex
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041914649 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
North Country School, Lake Placid
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,300.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070519671 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Mount Van Hoevenberg Sports Complex, Lake Placid
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 25 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1294WLYMPCSTATE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.1
Harris Lake, Town Of Newcomb
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 2528 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Westport Sd#1 Wwtp, Westport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009829551 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Sylvamo Ticonderoga Mill, Ticonderoga
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000325005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Imerys Wollastonite Plant, Willsboro, Town Of
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070205099 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8

Correctional facilities

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

Adirondack Correctional Facility, Ray Brook
EPA FRS registry ID
110013071558
Water system
NY1510497
Health-based violations
1 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
28
Contaminants cited
Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Adirondack Correctional Facility, Ray Brook
EPA FRS registry ID
110002377598
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Federal Correctional Institute Ray Brook, Ray Brook
EPA FRS registry ID
110007990647
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Essex 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 Essex 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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