PA / county FIPS 42049 / county research

Erie County, Pennsylvania: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Erie County is 162.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Bladder deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate and Esophagus deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,177 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (1,130), Rail grade crossing (236), Small hazardous waste generator (162). 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: 42.0597, -80.0159.

How this county ranks in Pennsylvania

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 Erie County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	7.6	4.6	1.65xSignificant	6.4 to 9.1	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	6.2	4.1	1.51xSignificant	5.1 to 7.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	5.5	3.7	1.49xSignificant	4.5 to 6.7	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	18.1	13	1.39xSignificant	15.9 to 20.6	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	24.6	18.7	1.32xSignificant	22.4 to 27.1	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.6	4.4	1.27xSignificant	4.5 to 6.9	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	38.4	30.2	1.27xSignificant	35.7 to 41.3	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	65.2	51.8	1.26xSignificant	61.5 to 68.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7.6	6.2	1.23x	6.2 to 9.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.1	3.4	1.21x	3.2 to 5.1	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.5	18.5	1.16xSignificant	19.3 to 23.8	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	18.9	16.4	1.15x	13.7 to 25.5	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	162.2	143.2	1.13xSignificant	156.3 to 168.2	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7.4	6.6	1.12x	6.2 to 8.8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.2	4.8	1.08x	4.2 to 6.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.2	11.3	1.08x	10.7 to 14	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.1	5.7	1.07x	5 to 7.4	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	479.3	453.4	1.06xSignificant	468.8 to 489.9	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	18.6	17.9	1.04x	16.6 to 20.9	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.2	13.9	1.02x	12.5 to 16.1	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	8.7	8.7	1x	7.4 to 10.2	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	14.2	14.5	0.98x	12.4 to 16.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.8	2	0.9x	1.2 to 2.6	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	17.6	23.8	0.74x	15.6 to 19.8	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	4.8	6.6	0.73x	3.8 to 5.9	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	1.7	2.7	0.63x	1.2 to 2.4	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	9,059.1	9,842.6	-8%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	55.7	59.8	-7%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	7.4	6.2	+20%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	89.1	96.9	-8%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	33.7	28.6	+18%	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.

Formaldehyde14.12 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.94 per million
Ethylene Oxide2.78 per million
Acetaldehyde1.29 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 280 good, 1 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 34, peak 149.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,177 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit1,130
Rail grade crossing236
Small hazardous waste generator162
Air permit holder (minor source)140
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)136
Gas station (mapped facility)106
Scrapyard (mapped facility)85
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)49
TRI reporting facility43
Large hazardous waste generator17
Brownfield property16
Hazardous waste transporter15
Major air pollution source8
Public airport8
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)8
Heliport4
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)4
Airfield2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Superfund (NPL) site2
EPA air quality monitor1
Commercial airport1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Biomass 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.

Mill Creek Dump, Erie
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 49.3. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980231690 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Lord-Shope Landfill, Girard Township
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 38.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980508931 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Molded Fiber Glass Co/Union City, Union City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010986647 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.6
Haysite Reinforced Plastics Llc/Erie, Erie
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $9,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000331999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.4
Haysite Reinforced Plastics Llc, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Lead compounds. Reports carcinogens. 255,125 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16509HYSTR5599N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Molded Fiber Glass / Union City, Union City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Dicyclopentadiene. Reports carcinogens. 130,091 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16438MLDDF55FOU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Lord Corp, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Methyl isobutyl ketone, Nitric acid. Reports carcinogens. 78,470 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16509BSHND2455R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Interstate Chemical Co United Erie, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Naphthalene, Phenol, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 26,792 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16502NTDRN1429W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Erie Plating Co/Erie Plt, Erie
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000744918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Basf Corp, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Ammonia, Barium And Barium Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 13,830 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16503CLSCT1707G (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
American Tinning & Galvanizing Co., Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 9,570 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16501MRCNT522WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Ge Transportation - Erie, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Copper, Chromium, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 5,852 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16531GNRLL2901E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Modern Industries Inc., Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 242,865 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16512MDRNN613W1 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Erie Bronze & Aluminum, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 2,484 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16506RBRNZ6300W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
General Partitions Manufacturing Corp, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 2,000 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16505GNRLP1702P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Molded Fiber Glass Co/Union City, Union City
Major air pollution source. Penalties $10,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010986647 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Great Lakes Metal Finishing Inc., Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Lead, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Chromium and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,434 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1650WGRTLK1113W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Parker Hannifin/Quick Coupling Div, Union City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 1,300 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16438SNPTT201TI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Fxi Inc - Corry Facility, Corry
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000331604 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Erie Strayer Corp, Erie
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002095544 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Cosmed Of Pennsylvania, Erie
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene oxide, Ethylene glycol. Reports carcinogens. 1,134 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16510MDCLM2205E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Fxi Inc. - Corry, Corry
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene diisocyanate (mixed isomers), Diisocyanates. Reports carcinogens. 927 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16407FMXPR466SH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
American Tinning & Galvanizing Co, Erie
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000331775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Haysite Reinforced Plastics Llc/Erie, Erie
Major air pollution source. Penalties $9,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000331999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Corry Manufacturing Co, Corry
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium, Cobalt. Reports carcinogens. 780 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 16407CRRYM519WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7

Correctional facilities

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

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Erie County

Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Pennsylvania health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania 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 Erie County View on the heat map All Pennsylvania counties