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Galveston County, Texas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Galveston County is 161.9 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 1.7 times the U.S. rate and Kidney & renal pelvis deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,316 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (763), Rail grade crossing (133), Gas station (mapped facility) (88). 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: 29.3821, -95.033.

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 Galveston County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	New cases	14.7	8.7	1.69xSignificant	13.1 to 16.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	10.9	6.6	1.65xSignificant	9.6 to 12.4	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.9	3.4	1.44xSignificant	3.9 to 5.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	21.7	17.9	1.21xSignificant	19.7 to 23.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	16.7	14.5	1.15xSignificant	14.9 to 18.7	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.3	2	1.15x	1.6 to 3.1	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	161.9	143.2	1.13xSignificant	156.3 to 167.6	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4.5	4.1	1.1x	3.5 to 5.5	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.2	4.8	1.08x	4.2 to 6.4	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.6	30.2	1.08x	30.2 to 35.1	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.6	16.4	1.07x	13.4 to 22.7	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	4.9	4.6	1.07x	4 to 5.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25.3	23.8	1.06x	23.1 to 27.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	55	51.8	1.06xSignificant	51.9 to 58.4	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.9	3.7	1.05x	3.1 to 4.9	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.6	4.4	1.05x	3.7 to 5.7	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	473	453.4	1.04xSignificant	463.4 to 482.7	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.8	2.7	1.04x	2.1 to 3.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	5.9	5.7	1.04x	4.9 to 7.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.5	11.3	1.02x	10.1 to 13.1	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.6	6.6	1x	5.5 to 7.8	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.2	18.5	0.98x	16.4 to 20.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.6	13.9	0.98x	12.1 to 15.4	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.7	6.2	0.92x	4.7 to 6.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	16.7	18.7	0.89x	14.9 to 18.6	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10.8	13	0.83x	9.3 to 12.5	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 Galveston County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,976	9,842.6	-9%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.1	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	52.1	59.8	-13%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.1	6.2	-18%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	77.5	96.9	-20%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	24	28.6	-16%	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.

Formaldehyde19.66 per million
Ethylene Oxide3.65 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.89 per million
Acetaldehyde1.26 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 218 good, 8 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 45, peak 179.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,316 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit763
Rail grade crossing133
Gas station (mapped facility)88
Air permit holder (minor source)67
Small hazardous waste generator38
Major air pollution source34
Brownfield property31
Hazardous waste transporter27
Large hazardous waste generator26
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)23
TRI reporting facility19
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)12
Heliport12
Large greenhouse gas emitter11
Public airport7
Gas power plant6
Landfill (mapped facility)4
EPA air quality monitor3
Battery storage plant3
Superfund (NPL) site3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Other power 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.

Galveston Bay Refinery, Texas City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $27,375.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059763536 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Tex-Tin Corp., Texas City
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXD062113329 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Motco, Inc., La Marque
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXD980629851 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Malone Service Company, Inc., Texas City
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TXD980864789 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Blanchard Refining Co Llc, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen sulfide, Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Hydrogen cyanide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 27,181,255 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7759WBLNCH2415T (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Isp Technologies Inc, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, Methanol, Ammonia and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 10,504,495 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77598GFCHMPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.9
Valero Refining-Texas Lp, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Hydrogen cyanide, n-Hexane, Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,463,250 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77592TXSCTLOOP1 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.8
2007 Union Carbide Corporation Tco, Texas City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000505524 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.3
Valero Refining Company - Texas, Texas City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $88,688.
EPA FRS registry ID 110032911669 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.8
Union Carbide Corp Texas City Plant, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Propionaldehyde, Propylene, Vinyl acetate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 428,432 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77592NNCRB33015 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Bp Amoco Chemical Company, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: m-Xylene, p-Xylene, Benzene, o-Xylene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 386,434 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77590MCLCM24015 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Linde Inc Texas City Smr, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Zinc compounds, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Copper And Copper Compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 231,293 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77590PRXRN172GR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Ineos Styrolution America Llc, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Ethylbenzene, Toluene, Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 226,165 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77592MCCHMFOOTO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Isp Technologies - Texas City, Texas City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $47,445.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000619466 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.6
Air Products Industrial Gases Llc, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, Zinc compounds, Nickel compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 38,240 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7753WRPRDC4355T (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Texas City Crude Oil Terminal, Texas City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $10,300.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000463864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.9
Texas International Terminals, Galveston
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Naphthalene, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane, Cyclohexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 18,926 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7755WTXSNT48LDP (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Clean Harbors San Leon, San Leon
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $12,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000495214 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
Texas City Extraction Plant, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Cyclohexane, Toluene, Benzene and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 12,040 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7759WTXSCT9GRAN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Bp Amoco Chemical Co, Texas City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $232,975.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028187049 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
Galveston Bay Refinery, Texas City
Major air pollution source. Penalties $27,375.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059763536 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Texas City Crude Oil Terminal, Texas City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane, Cyclohexane, Toluene and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,765 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7759WTXSCT21BAY (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Clean Harbors San Leon Inc, San Leon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Benzene, Molybdenum trioxide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,297 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 77539DRTHR2700A (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Galveston Bay Refinery, Texas City
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $27,375.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059763536 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Galveston Bay Refinery, Texas City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $27,375.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059763536 (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.

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Galveston 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 Galveston 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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