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McLennan County, Texas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in McLennan County is 155.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Pancreas deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate and Liver & bile duct deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,176 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (634), Rail grade crossing (141), Gas station (mapped facility) (120). 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: 31.5593, -97.2061.

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 McLennan County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	New cases	12.2	8.7	1.4xSignificant	10.5 to 14.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	24.6	17.9	1.37xSignificant	22 to 27.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.3	3.4	1.26x	3.3 to 5.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	14.1	11.3	1.25xSignificant	12.2 to 16.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.2	6.6	1.24xSignificant	6.8 to 9.8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.9	4.8	1.23x	4.7 to 7.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	16	13.9	1.15xSignificant	14 to 18.2	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.5	5.7	1.14x	5.3 to 8	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	155.2	143.2	1.08xSignificant	148.9 to 161.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32.2	30.2	1.07x	29.4 to 35.2	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.8	2.7	1.04x	1.9 to 3.8	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	15	14.5	1.03x	13 to 17.2	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	462.3	453.4	1.02x	451.1 to 473.7	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.6	6.6	1x	5.3 to 8.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.4	18.5	0.99x	16.2 to 20.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	50.7	51.8	0.98x	47.1 to 54.4	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.3	4.4	0.98x	3.3 to 5.5	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.9	2	0.95x	1.3 to 2.8	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	14.8	16.4	0.9x	10.6 to 20.3	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	11.5	13	0.88x	9.6 to 13.5	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.6	4.1	0.88x	2.7 to 4.7	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	15.8	18.7	0.84x	13.8 to 18	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3	3.7	0.81x	2.2 to 4.1	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	3.6	4.6	0.78x	2.7 to 4.7	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	4.8	6.2	0.77x	3.8 to 6.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	16.9	23.8	0.71x	14.8 to 19.2	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 McLennan County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,298.2	9,842.6	-6%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	75.3	75.3	+0%	years
Child mortality	59.3	59.8	-1%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.3	6.2	+2%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	68	96.9	-30%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	11.9	28.6	-58%	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.

Formaldehyde20.79 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.88 per million
Acetaldehyde1.6 per million
Benzene0.85 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 170 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 51, peak 142.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,176 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit634
Rail grade crossing141
Gas station (mapped facility)120
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)39
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)36
TRI reporting facility33
Small hazardous waste generator32
Air permit holder (minor source)31
Major air pollution source20
Large hazardous waste generator19
Brownfield property15
Public airport13
Hazardous waste transporter12
Large greenhouse gas emitter6
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)6
Commercial airport3
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)3
Heliport3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
Landfill (mapped facility)2
Solar power plant2
EPA air quality monitor1
Coal power plant1
Wind 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.

Sandy Creek Energy Station, Riesel
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Barium And Barium Compounds, Ammonia, Vanadium compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,063,944 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7668WSNDYC2161R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.8
Roca Bathroom Products Inc., Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 150,999 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76703GNRLT600GE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Waco Composites, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 96,897 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76710WCCMP32S27 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Lehigh White Cement Co / Waco Plant, Woodway
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. Reports carcinogens. 47,641 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76712LHGHC1SWIC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Packless Industries Waco Facility, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Copper, Manganese, Chromium and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 36,034 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76702PCKLS8401I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Waco Boom Co Ltd, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 35,093 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76712WCBMC481TE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Sanderson Farms Llc, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Hydrogen sulfide, Peracetic acid. 2,217,564 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76705SNDRS31AVI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi Llc Waco Terminal, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane, Toluene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 15,460 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76705KCHPT2017K (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Sanderson Farms Inc., Waco
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030736719 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
City Of Mcgregor-Plant - 9th St, Mcgregor
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $31,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006620950 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Sandy Creek Energy Station, Riesel
Coal power plant.
Record ID 56611 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.9
Howmet Fastening Systems Waco, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Chromium, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Manganese and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,373 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76714HCKMN8001I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Sandy Creek Energy Station, Riesel
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110035106113 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Zinkpower Waco, Woodway
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 723 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7671WZNKPW741MA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Envases Commerce Llc, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, n-Butyl alcohol, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Manganese. 57,975 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7671WNVSSN2WYCN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Central Texas Iron Works, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Chromium, Nickel, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 325 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76712CNTRL1100W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Vantran Industries Llc., Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers). 28,677 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76702VNTRN7711I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc Plant 15, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) and 1 more. 24,509 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76711WNSLL5200B (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Pilgrim'S Pride Corp Waco Processing Plant, Waco
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Mixture. 14,700 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 76705PLGRM2500E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Envases Universales, Woodway
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071434304 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Waco Composites Plant, Waco
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022832522 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Clarke Products Inc., Waco
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064274262 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Vantran Industries, Waco
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000460509 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Packless Metal Hose & Texas Copper Works Divisions, Waco
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000460475 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Pilgrim'S Pride - Waco Poultry Processing Plant, Waco
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002133147 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9

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 McLennan 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 McLennan 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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