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Ector County, Texas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Ector County is 187.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Liver & bile duct deaths at 2.1 times the U.S. rate and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths at 1.8 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 640 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (343), Small hazardous waste generator (62), Gas station (mapped facility) (42). One correctional facility operates in the county. 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: 31.8686, -102.5429.

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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 Ector County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	New cases	18.8	8.7	2.16xSignificant	15.6 to 22.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	14.1	6.6	2.14xSignificant	11.4 to 17.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	8.4	4.8	1.75xSignificant	6.3 to 11	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	24.3	16.4	1.48xSignificant	18.1 to 31.9	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	25.2	17.9	1.41xSignificant	21.6 to 29.2	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	3.8	2.7	1.41x	2.5 to 5.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.7	3.4	1.38x	3.2 to 6.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	187.9	143.2	1.31xSignificant	177.2 to 199	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	37	30.2	1.23xSignificant	32.3 to 42.2	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.4	5.7	1.12x	4.6 to 8.7	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.9	3.7	1.05x	2.6 to 5.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	467.9	453.4	1.03x	451.5 to 484.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	53.2	51.8	1.03x	47.6 to 59.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.7	18.5	1.01x	15.6 to 22.3	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	14.4	14.5	0.99x	11.7 to 17.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.3	4.4	0.98x	2.9 to 6.1	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.4	6.6	0.97x	4.6 to 8.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.8	11.3	0.96x	8.4 to 13.7	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	3.8	4.1	0.93x	2.4 to 5.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	12	13.9	0.86x	9.5 to 15	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	4.8	6.2	0.77x	3.3 to 6.7	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	14.4	18.7	0.77x	11.6 to 17.7	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	3.2	4.6	0.7x	2 to 4.9	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	8.9	13	0.68x	6.9 to 11.3	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	8.4	23.8	0.35x	6.3 to 10.9	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 Ector County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	12,481.4	9,842.6	+27%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.5	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	71.7	59.8	+20%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.7	6.2	-8%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	90.6	96.9	-7%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	21	28.6	-26%	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.

Formaldehyde15.66 per million
Benzene2.69 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.66 per million
Acetaldehyde0.85 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 358 days: 259 good, 2 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 39, peak 183.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit343
Small hazardous waste generator62
Gas station (mapped facility)42
Rail grade crossing35
Hazardous waste transporter31
Air permit holder (minor source)26
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)23
Major air pollution source19
TRI reporting facility16
Large hazardous waste generator13
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)5
Superfund (NPL) site4
Gas power plant3
Solar power plant3
EPA air quality monitor2
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Heliport2
Landfill (mapped facility)2
Commercial airport1
Brownfield property1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Battery storage plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

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

Sprague Road Ground Water Plume, Odessa
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 43.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TX0001407444 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Odessa Chromium #1, Odessa
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXD980867279 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
East 67th Street Ground Water Plume, Odessa
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXN000606614 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Northwest Odessa Groundwater, Odessa
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXN000607499 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Dcp Midstream Goldsmith Plant, Goldsmith
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000705112 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9
Dcp Goldsmith Plant, Goldsmith
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen sulfide, Cyclohexane, Methanol, Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 125,769 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7974WDCPGL16WES (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Championx-Odessa Plant, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 67,954 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 79760CHMPN115PR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Coastal Chemical Co. Llc, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ethylene glycol, Toluene, Diethanolamine and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 47,306 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7976WCSTLC31SLA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Pilot Thomas Logistics Llc - Odessa Andrews Highway, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ethylene glycol, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Zinc compounds. Reports carcinogens. 19,226 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7976WNRTHD9421N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Univar Solutions Usa Inc Odessa, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylene glycol, Ethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 17,278 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 79762VNWTR311LB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Catalyst Oilfield Services 2016 Llc, Gardendale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ethylene glycol, Toluene, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 16,275 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7975WCTLYS11999 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Brenntag Southwest Inc Odessa, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylene glycol, Certain glycol ethers and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 14,584 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 79762DLTDS108E6 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Rextac Llc, Odessa
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039582047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Verdant Energy Solutions -Odessa, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Methanol, Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 6,015 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7976WBZCHM383MA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Gcc Permian Llc - Odessa Cement Plant, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Lead compounds, Chromium, Lead And Lead Compounds and 2 more. 399,583 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 79776STHDW13MIL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Nov Oregon Street, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium, Propylene, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 4,340 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7976WMSSNP24REG (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
James Lake Gas Plant, Goldsmith
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Benzene, Methanol, n-Hexane, Cyclohexane and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,659 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7974WJMSLK241FM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Rextac Llc, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Propylene, Ethylene. 245,484 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7976WRXTCL251SG (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Odessa Cement Plant, Odessa
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013317035 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Baze Chemical Odessa, Odessa
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071248939 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.7
Permian Tank & Manufacturing Inc Fiberglass Facility, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 666 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 79764PRMNF88WLP (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Halliburton Odessa Field Camp, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ethylene glycol, Certain glycol ethers, Lead And Lead Compounds and 4 more. 39,559 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7976WHLLBR6155W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
James Lake Gas Plant, Goldsmith
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070235010 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Champion Technologies Inc, Odessa
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000466086 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.2
Univar Usa Inc Odessa Pronto, Odessa
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Toluene, Certain glycol ethers. 12,257 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 79762CHMCN105PR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1

Correctional facilities

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

Ector County Juvenile Justice Center, Odessa
EPA FRS registry ID
110072148391
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Ector 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 Ector 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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