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York County, Pennsylvania: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in York County is 153.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.1 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,039 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (983), Rail grade crossing (243), Air permit holder (minor source) (215). 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: 39.9716, -76.7421.

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 York County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	Deaths	5	3.7	1.35xSignificant	4.2 to 5.8	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	16.6	13	1.28xSignificant	14.9 to 18.3	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.5	2	1.25x	2 to 3.2	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.7	4.6	1.24xSignificant	4.9 to 6.6	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	22.5	18.7	1.2xSignificant	20.9 to 24.3	2019-2023
Thyroid	Deaths	0.6	0.5	1.2x	0.4 to 0.9	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	28.5	23.8	1.2xSignificant	26.6 to 30.6	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.7	4.1	1.15x	4 to 5.6	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	34.6	30.2	1.15xSignificant	32.6 to 36.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	57.5	51.8	1.11xSignificant	54.9 to 60.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.3	4.8	1.1x	4.5 to 6.2	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	153.9	143.2	1.07xSignificant	149.5 to 158.3	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12	11.3	1.06x	10.9 to 13.3	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.6	4.4	1.05x	3.8 to 5.4	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	464.1	453.4	1.02xSignificant	456.2 to 472.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.8	5.7	1.02x	4.9 to 6.7	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18	18.5	0.97x	16.5 to 19.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.5	13.9	0.97x	12.2 to 14.9	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	15.9	16.4	0.97x	12.2 to 20.2	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6	6.2	0.97x	5.1 to 7	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	13.5	14.5	0.93x	12.2 to 14.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.1	6.6	0.92x	5.3 to 7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.7	8.7	0.89x	6.7 to 8.7	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	5.8	6.6	0.88x	4.9 to 6.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.9	3.4	0.85x	2.4 to 3.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	14.8	17.9	0.83x	13.4 to 16.3	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.2	2.7	0.81x	1.7 to 2.9	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 York County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,601.9	9,842.6	-23%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77.5	75.3	+3%	years
Child mortality	44	59.8	-26%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5	6.2	-19%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	102.5	96.9	+6%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	36.3	28.6	+27%	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.

Formaldehyde19.37 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.96 per million
Acetaldehyde1.93 per million
Benzene1.66 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 217 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 45, peak 116.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,039 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit983
Rail grade crossing243
Air permit holder (minor source)215
Gas station (mapped facility)122
Small hazardous waste generator95
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)87
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)53
TRI reporting facility48
Large hazardous waste generator45
Hazardous waste transporter27
Brownfield property24
Scrapyard (mapped facility)18
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)16
Major air pollution source14
Heliport10
Public airport9
Large greenhouse gas emitter8
Landfill (mapped facility)3
Gas power plant3
Superfund (NPL) site3
EPA air quality monitor2
Commercial airport2
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)2
Industrial wastewater discharge1
Biomass power plant1
Coal power plant1
Hydroelectric plant1
Nuclear power plant1
Oil-fired power plant1
Solar 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.

Pixelle Spec Solutions Llc/Spring Grove, Spring Grove
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $65,003.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017404664 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Modern Sanitation Landfill, Lower Windsor Township
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 33.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980539068 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
East Mount Zion, Springettsbury Township
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 41. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980690549 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Old City of York Landfill, Seven Valleys
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 33.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID PAD980692420 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Pixelle Specialty Solutions Llc, Spring Grove
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ammonia, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,480,654 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17362PHGLT228SO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Brunner Island Llc/Brunner Island, York Haven
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000601778 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.1
Brunner Island Steam Electric Station, York Haven
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Manganese compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 718,477 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17370BRNNRWAGOR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Adhesives Research Inc, Glen Rock
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000333103 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
York Energy Center, Delta
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $3,140.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043196528 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Magnesita Refractories Co, York
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Phenol, Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 388,189 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17404JBKRC320NO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Calpine Mid Merit Llc York Energy Center, Delta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, n-Hexane, Lead And Lead Compounds, Polycyclic aromatic compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 182,390 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 1731WCLPNM155PI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Lehigh Cement Co Llc, York
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $17,198.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008054773 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Crown Food Packaging, Hanover
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Butyl alcohol, Certain glycol ethers, Lead, Manganese compounds. Reports carcinogens. 95,839 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17331CRWNC1650B (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Magnesita Refractories/York, York
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,212.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041028544 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.2
Skf Usa Inc Hanover Plant, Hanover
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, 1-Bromopropane, Nickel, Chromium and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 43,859 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17331SKFBRRD3BO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Hanover Foods Corp/Hanover Cannery, Hanover
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,327,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010974320 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Gelest Inc, Glen Rock
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Methyl methacrylate, Acrylic acid, Butyl acrylate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 12,545 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17327PMXNC158IN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Donsco Inc, Wrightsville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000584074 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
Amz Manufacturing Corp, York
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1-Bromopropane, Nitric acid. Reports carcinogens. 8,584 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17404MZCRP1600P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Trenwyth Industries, Emigsville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl methacrylate, Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 4,960 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17318TRNWYONECO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Kloeckner Metals Corp, York
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Nickel, Chromium, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 4,449 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17408TMTCS5MANC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Pennex Aluminum Co, Wellsville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000817750 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.3
Lehigh Cement Co Llc, York
Major air pollution source. Penalties $17,198.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008054773 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.3
Tate Access Floors Inc., Red Lion
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Chromium, Copper, Nickel and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,428 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17356SGNTRSOUTH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Donsco Inc, Wrightsville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Copper, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 3,128 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 17368DNSCNC40NF (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2

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 York 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 York 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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