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Brazoria County, Texas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Brazoria County is 152.5 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Liver & bile duct deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Kidney & renal pelvis deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,652 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (975), Rail grade crossing (136), Gas station (mapped facility) (116). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 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: 29.2138, -95.4606.

How this county ranks in Texas

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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 Brazoria County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	New cases	13.9	8.7	1.6xSignificant	12.3 to 15.7	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	9.2	6.6	1.39xSignificant	7.9 to 10.7	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.6	3.4	1.35xSignificant	3.6 to 5.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	22.6	17.9	1.26xSignificant	20.5 to 24.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	16.3	14.5	1.12x	14.5 to 18.3	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	5.1	4.6	1.11x	4.1 to 6.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.5	11.3	1.11x	10.9 to 14.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	5.1 to 7.6	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.2	30.2	1.07x	29.6 to 34.9	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	152.5	143.2	1.06xSignificant	146.9 to 158.3	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.4	16.4	1.06x	13.5 to 22	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.9	3.7	1.05x	3.1 to 4.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	14.6	13.9	1.05x	12.9 to 16.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5	4.8	1.04x	4 to 6.2	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.7	6.6	1.02x	5.5 to 7.9	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	454.8	453.4	1x	445.2 to 464.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.5	18.5	1x	16.6 to 20.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.3	4.4	0.98x	3.4 to 5.3	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4	4.1	0.98x	3.1 to 5.1	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6	6.2	0.97x	4.9 to 7.2	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.6	2.7	0.96x	2 to 3.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	49.5	51.8	0.96x	46.3 to 52.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.8	2	0.9x	1.3 to 2.6	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	16.6	18.7	0.89x	14.7 to 18.6	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10.2	13	0.78x	8.9 to 11.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	15.6	23.8	0.66x	13.8 to 17.5	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 Brazoria County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,616.1	9,842.6	-23%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.9	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	44.1	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	61.7	96.9	-36%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	16.4	28.6	-43%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde21.69 per million
Ethylene Oxide3.86 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.9 per million
Acetaldehyde1.79 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 295 good, 8 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 35, peak 143.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,652 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit975
Rail grade crossing136
Gas station (mapped facility)116
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)57
TRI reporting facility52
Major air pollution source48
Large hazardous waste generator43
Air permit holder (minor source)42
Small hazardous waste generator37
Hazardous waste transporter36
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)32
Public airport19
Large greenhouse gas emitter15
Heliport10
Gas power plant9
Battery storage plant6
EPA air quality monitor3
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Commercial airport2
Brownfield property2
Other power plant1
Solar power plant1
Superfund (NPL) site1

Highest-severity records

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

Basf Corp - Freeport Site, Freeport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $85,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000463392 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Phillips 66 Co - Sweeny Refinery, Old Ocean
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $555,756.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007182360 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Voranol_Specialty Polyurethane Chemicals (Spc), Freeport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,033,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008170237 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Ascend Performance Materials Llc, Alvin
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070377148 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Gulfco Marine Maintenance, Freeport
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXD055144539 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Ascend Performance Materials-Chocolate Bayou Plant, Alvin
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Acrylonitrile, Acrylamide, Formic acid and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 93,234,560 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77511SLTNCFM291 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Basf Corp - Freeport Site, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Cyclohexanol, Formic acid, Cyclohexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 8,328,745 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77541BSFCR602CO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Ineos Usa Llc - Chocolate Bayou Plant, Alvin
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $109,643.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000606933 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Phillips 66 Co Sweeny Refinery Complex, Old Ocean
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), n-Hexane, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 5,032,245 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77480PHLLPSH35A (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.6
Dow Chemical Co Freeport Facility, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Ammonia, Propylene, Zinc compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,626,221 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77541THDWCBUILD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.6
Ineos Usa Llc - Chocolate Bayou Plant, Alvin
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Propylene, 1,3-Butadiene, Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,138,002 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77511MCCHM2MISO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.6
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co Lp Sweeny Complex, Sweeny
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Propylene, Hydrogen sulfide, Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,471,297 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77465CHVRNSTATE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Freeport_Olin Bc, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Cumene, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Chlorine and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,248,368 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7754WBLCBP231NB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Olin Blue Cube, Freeport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $257,995.
EPA FRS registry ID 110066943605 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9
Gladieux Metals Recycling, Freeport
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070750589 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Freeport Plant, Freeport
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000599451 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Solvche - Pearland Facility, Pearland
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000463766 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
Chevron Phillips Chemical Sweeny Old Ocean Facilities, Sweeny
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $101,439.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056970568 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.6
Texas Barge & Boat, Freeport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $37,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020774740 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Shintech Inc, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Vinyl chloride, Methanol, Chromium, Antimony and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 143,704 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77541SHNTC5672H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Linde- Sweeny Hydrogen Plant, Sweeny
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Zinc compounds, Nickel compounds, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region). Reports carcinogens. 127,087 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7748WLNDSW8985W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Dsm Nutritional Products, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Dichloromethane, Methanol, n-Hexane, Ammonia and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 113,431 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77541HFFMN1000C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Meglobal Oyster Creek, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Ammonia, Ethylene glycol, Ethylene oxide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 107,283 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7754WMGLBL457EH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Championx-Freeport, Freeport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formaldehyde, Propylene oxide, Ethylene oxide, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 99,702 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77541NLCCHPODRA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Shintech Inc, Freeport
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000743839 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.3

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 Brazoria County

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