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Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Lancaster County is 137.7 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Melanoma of the skin deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,694 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (1,449), Air permit holder (minor source) (271), Small hazardous waste generator (203). 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: 40.0188, -76.2341.

How this county ranks in Pennsylvania

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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
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	22	16.4	1.34xSignificant	18.2 to 26.3	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	19.4	14.5	1.34xSignificant	17.9 to 20.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.6	2	1.3xSignificant	2.1 to 3.2	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.8	4.8	1.21xSignificant	5.1 to 6.6	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.7	18.5	1.17xSignificant	20.2 to 23.4	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7	6.2	1.13x	6.1 to 8	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	5.5 to 7.1	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25	23.8	1.05x	23.3 to 26.8	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	13.3	13	1.02x	11.9 to 14.7	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.1	4.1	1x	3.5 to 4.8	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.6	4.6	1x	3.9 to 5.4	2019-2023
Thyroid	Deaths	0.5	0.5	1x	0.3 to 0.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	449.7	453.4	0.99x	442.6 to 456.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	18.3	18.7	0.98x	17 to 19.7	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.3	4.4	0.98x	3.6 to 5	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11	11.3	0.97x	10 to 12.2	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	137.7	143.2	0.96x	134 to 141.5	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.5	3.7	0.95x	3 to 4.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	47.9	51.8	0.92x	45.8 to 50.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	12.7	13.9	0.91x	11.6 to 13.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	26.8	30.2	0.89x	25.2 to 28.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3	3.4	0.88x	2.5 to 3.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.6	8.7	0.87x	6.7 to 8.5	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	5.7	6.6	0.86x	4.9 to 6.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.6	6.6	0.85x	4.9 to 6.4	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	14.8	17.9	0.83x	13.5 to 16.2	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.1	2.7	0.78x	1.7 to 2.7	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 Lancaster County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,922.3	9,842.6	-30%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.8	75.3	+5%	years
Child mortality	51.3	59.8	-14%	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	72.9	96.9	-25%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	25.4	28.6	-11%	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.

Formaldehyde19.21 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde2.01 per million
Benzene1.81 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 221 good, 2 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 45, peak 119.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,694 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit1,449
Air permit holder (minor source)271
Small hazardous waste generator203
Rail grade crossing185
Gas station (mapped facility)152
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)109
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)73
TRI reporting facility57
Large hazardous waste generator46
Brownfield property30
Hazardous waste transporter25
Major air pollution source24
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)17
Large greenhouse gas emitter7
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)6
Heliport6
Public airport5
Biomass power plant5
Solar power plant4
EPA air quality monitor3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
Industrial wastewater discharge2
Landfill (mapped facility)2
Hydroelectric plant2
Superfund (NPL) site2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Crematorium (mapped facility)1
Gas power plant1
Pumped storage plant1
Wind 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.

UGI Columbia Gas Plant, Columbia
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50.8. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980539126 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Elizabethtown Landfill, Elizabethtown
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 29. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980539712 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Arconic Us Llc, Lancaster
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $110,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000334200 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.5
Armstrong World Industries, Marietta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Formaldehyde, Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Manganese compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 782,801 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17547RMSTRROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Buck Co Inc, Quarryville
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $14,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333988 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp, East Earl
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, Methanol, Methyl isobutyl ketone and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 424,060 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17519CNSTG245RE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Lsc Communications / Lancaster East, Lancaster
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Certain glycol ethers, Ethylene glycol, Polycyclic aromatic compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 419,694 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17601RRDNN216GR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Aquatic Co, Elizabethtown
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 81,733 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17022PHLPS40IND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Dart Container Corp Of Pennsylvania, Leola
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Zinc compounds. Reports carcinogens. 67,522 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17540DRTCN60EAS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Armstrong World Industries, Marietta
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333906 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.1
Dart Container Corp Of Pennsylvania, Leola
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $36,085.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333817 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.1
Tyson Foods New Holland Complex, New Holland
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010975695 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.1
Mt Joy Wire Corp/Mt Joy, Mount Joy
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333915 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Countertek, Ephrata
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 35,925 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17522LMTCH1215R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
High Steel Structures - Lancaster Facility, Lancaster
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Zinc (fume or dust), Manganese, Nickel and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 32,541 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17605HGHSTPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Arconic Us Llc, Lancaster
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chlorine, Xylene (mixed isomers), Manganese, Copper and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 32,115 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17604LMXML1480M (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Mount Joy Wire Corp, Mount Joy
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Lead, Chromium, Manganese. Reports carcinogens. 31,669 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17552NTNLSRD2BO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
H. M. Stauffer & Sons Inc, Leola
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333826 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.9
Perdue Agribusiness Llc - Bainbridge Pa, Marietta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Cyclohexane. 1,409,981 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1754WBNBRD1897R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Buck Co Inc, Quarryville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Manganese, Triethylamine, Lead and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 15,139 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17566BCKCXBOX23 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Stoner Inc, Quarryville
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $222,422.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333997 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
Sa Alloys, Columbia
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000492271 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
The Federal Metal Co, Columbia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Copper, Copper compounds, Copper And Copper Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,772 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17512CLNLM2NDLI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Goodhart Sons Inc., Lancaster
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 7,727 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1760WGDHRT2515H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Tyson Poultry Inc-New Holland Complex, New Holland
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Peracetic acid, Ammonia, Certain glycol ethers. 623,047 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17557VCTRF403SO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4

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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.

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