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Providence County, Rhode Island: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Providence County is 136 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Liver & bile duct deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate and Bladder deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,122 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Small hazardous waste generator (695), Air permit holder (minor source) (367), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (333). 3 correctional facilities operate in the county. 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: 41.8677, -71.5656.

How this county ranks in Rhode Island

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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 Providence County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8	6.6	1.21xSignificant	7.1 to 8.9	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4.8	4.1	1.17xSignificant	4.2 to 5.6	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	7.7	6.6	1.17xSignificant	6.9 to 8.7	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	3.1	2.7	1.15x	2.6 to 3.7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.9	8.7	1.14xSignificant	8.9 to 10.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	21.2	18.7	1.13xSignificant	19.8 to 22.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	58.2	51.8	1.12xSignificant	55.9 to 60.6	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	18.2	16.4	1.11x	14.8 to 22.1	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	14.4	13	1.11xSignificant	13.1 to 15.7	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	15.2	13.9	1.09xSignificant	14 to 16.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.4	6.2	1.03x	5.6 to 7.3	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	30.9	30.2	1.02x	29.2 to 32.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.5	11.3	1.02x	10.5 to 12.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	14.5	14.5	1x	13.3 to 15.9	2019-2023
Thyroid	Deaths	0.5	0.5	1x	0.3 to 0.8	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.3	4.4	0.98x	3.7 to 5	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	439.8	453.4	0.97x	433.2 to 446.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.5	5.7	0.96x	4.8 to 6.3	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.2	17.9	0.96x	15.9 to 18.6	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.7	18.5	0.96x	16.4 to 19.1	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	4.4	4.6	0.96x	3.8 to 5.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	136	143.2	0.95x	132.4 to 139.7	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.3	4.8	0.9x	3.7 to 5	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.3	3.7	0.89x	2.8 to 3.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	2.8	3.4	0.82x	2.3 to 3.4	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.6	2	0.8x	1.2 to 2	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	14.4	23.8	0.61x	13.2 to 15.7	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 Providence County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,035.9	9,842.6	-29%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.2	75.3	+4%	years
Child mortality	39.5	59.8	-34%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.8	6.2	-7%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	87.7	96.9	-10%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	44.1	28.6	+54%	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.

Formaldehyde15.2 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.01 per million
Benzene1.63 per million
Acetaldehyde1.44 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 268 good, 1 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 39, peak 196.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,122 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Small hazardous waste generator695
Air permit holder (minor source)367
NPDES wastewater discharge permit333
Brownfield property205
Gas station (mapped facility)98
Rail grade crossing83
Large hazardous waste generator82
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)57
TRI reporting facility51
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)37
Hazardous waste transporter22
Solar power plant20
Major air pollution source18
Wind power plant8
Superfund (NPL) site7
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)6
Gas power plant6
Large greenhouse gas emitter5
EPA air quality monitor4
Correctional facility (prison or jail)3
Heliport3
Biomass power plant3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
Landfill (mapped facility)2
Hydroelectric plant2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Western Sand & Gravel, Burrillville
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 51.4. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID009764929 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Peterson/Puritan, Inc., Cumberland, Lincoln
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 40.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID055176283 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Landfill & Resource Recovery, Inc. (L&RR), North Smithfield
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 49.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID093212439 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Central Landfill, Johnston
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 46.7. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID980520183 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Davis Liquid Waste, Smithfield
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 47.3. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID980523070 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Stamina Mills, Inc., North Smithfield
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 34.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID980731442 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Centredale Manor Restoration Project, North Providence
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 70.7. NPL Site.
EPA site ID RID981203755 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Global East Providence Terminal, East Providence
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 21,872 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02914MBLLS1001W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Manchester Street Llc., Providence
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, n-Hexane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 20,602 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02903SGNNW40POI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Fiberglass Fabricators Inc., Smithfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 16,325 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02917FBRGL960DO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Cooley Inc, Pawtucket
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, N,N-Dimethylformamide, Antimony And Antimony Compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 16,076 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02860CLYNC50EST (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Shell Oil Products Us - Providence Terminal, Providence
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000312894 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
Shell Providence Terminal, Providence
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Cyclohexane, n-Hexane, Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 12,283 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02905MTVNT520AL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Ocean State Power, Harrisville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 708,626 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02830CNSTT1575S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Technic Inc Engineered Powders Div, Woonsocket
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Formaldehyde, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Silver And Silver Compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 6,687 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02895TCHNC300PA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Organic Dyes And Pigments, Lincoln
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $22,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001662923 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.4
Covestro Llc, East Providence
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Triethylamine, N,N-Dimethylformamide, Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 5,355 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02914KNCRP199AM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Sprague East Providence Terminal, East Providence
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,920 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 0291WSPRGS1DEXT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Teknor Apex Co, Pawtucket
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, Zinc compounds, Antimony And Antimony Compounds, Mixture and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,792 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02861TKNRP505CE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Custom Coatings Inc., Slatersville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N,N-Dimethylformamide, Toluene. Reports carcinogens. 2,250 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 02876NTRPR22STE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Northland Environmental Llc, Providence
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $27,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000618644 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Northland Environmental Llc, Providence
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $27,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000618644 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
G. Tanury Plating Company, Johnston
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $157,041.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000819954 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Federal Products Corp, Providence
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000895087 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Safety-Kleen Systems, Cranston
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $18,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000312849 (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.

R I Correctional Industries, Cranston
EPA FRS registry ID
110004915940
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Prison Industries, Cranston
EPA FRS registry ID
110007176876
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Ri Dept Of Corrections-Howard Complex, Cranston
EPA FRS registry ID
110009444574
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Providence County

Rhode Island 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 Providence County, and their findings.
Rhode Island vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Rhode Island health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Rhode Island 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.
Rhode Island 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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