VA / county FIPS 51670 / county research

Hopewell city, Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Hopewell city is 216.1 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 2.2 times the U.S. rate and Pancreas deaths at 1.8 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 144 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (33), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (23), Air permit holder (minor source) (16). 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: 37.2873, -77.2947.

How this county ranks in Virginia

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

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 Hopewell city compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	65.1	30.2	2.16xSignificant	51.9 to 80.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	20.8	11.3	1.84xSignificant	13.9 to 30.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	15.8	8.7	1.82xSignificant	9.8 to 24.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	92.9	51.8	1.79xSignificant	77.4 to 110.6	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	32	17.9	1.79xSignificant	22.9 to 43.5	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	216.1	143.2	1.51xSignificant	191.4 to 243.3	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	20.2	13.9	1.45x	13.4 to 29.4	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	557.2	453.4	1.23xSignificant	516.9 to 599.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	13.9	14.5	0.96x	8 to 22.6	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	17.1	18.7	0.91x	10.7 to 26	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	13.3	18.5	0.72x	7.9 to 21.1	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	13.5	23.8	0.57x	7.9 to 21.7	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 Hopewell city
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	19,634.6	9,842.6	+99%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	67.3	75.3	-11%	years
Child mortality	94.5	59.8	+58%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	9.7	6.2	+57%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	178.7	96.9	+84%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	99.3	28.6	+247%	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.

Formaldehyde21.6 per million
Ethylene Oxide10.71 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.98 per million
Acetaldehyde2.13 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 48 days: 48 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 6, peak 15.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing33
NPDES wastewater discharge permit23
Air permit holder (minor source)16
Brownfield property14
Gas station (mapped facility)10
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)9
TRI reporting facility7
Major air pollution source6
Large greenhouse gas emitter5
Small hazardous waste generator5
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)4
Large hazardous waste generator4
Heliport2
Biomass power plant2
EPA air quality monitor1
Hazardous waste transporter1
Gas power plant1
Wastewater plant (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.

Alliedsignal - Hopewell Plant, Hopewell
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $95,194.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000620221 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Advansix Inc Hopewell Plant, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Cyclohexanol, Phenol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 6,266,835 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23860LLDSGPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.7
Ashland Specialty Ingredients Gp, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Chloroethane, Ethylene, tert-Butyl alcohol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,698,183 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23860QLNCM1111H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Westrock Cp Llc, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ammonia, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Hydrogen sulfide and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,627,544 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23860STNHP910IN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Hercules Inc Aqualon Div, Hopewell
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342665 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Evonik Industries, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acrylic acid, Ethylene glycol, Allyl alcohol, n-Butyl alcohol and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 12,395 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23860GLDSC914ER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Alliedsignal - Hopewell Plant, Hopewell
Major air pollution source. Penalties $95,194.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000620221 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Federal Correctional Complex Petersburg, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 3,327 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23860BRFPR16RIV (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Rocktenn Cp Llc - Hopewell, Hopewell
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012503781 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Alliedsignal - Hopewell Plant, Hopewell
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $95,194.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000620221 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Alliedsignal - Hopewell Plant, Hopewell
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $95,194.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000620221 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Hopewell Power Generation Llc, Hopewell
Major air pollution source. Penalties $44,784.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071722601 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Evonik Corporation, Hopewell
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342601 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Airgas Usa, Llc, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 2,271 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2386WRGSCR13IND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Hopewell Wwtp, Hopewell
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001887806 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Associated Asphalt Hopewell Llc, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 10 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2386WSSCTD41WAT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.3
Noble Oil Services Inc., Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 5 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2386WNBLLS229HU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.1
Hercules Inc Aqualon Div, Hopewell
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342665 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Hopewell Wwtp, Hopewell
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001887806 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Kensing, Hopewell
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071319343 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Kensing Llc, Hopewell
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Chloroacetic acid. 100 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2386WKNSNG914ER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Hercules Inc Aqualon Div, Hopewell
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342665 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Hercules Inc Aqualon Div, Hopewell
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342665 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Noble Oil Services, Inc., Hopewell
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070206993 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.4
Hopewell Cogeneration Ltd Partnership, Hopewell
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342610 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3

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 Hopewell city

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

Scan an address in Hopewell city View on the heat map All Virginia counties