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Portsmouth city, Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Portsmouth city is 191.6 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 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Pancreas deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 223 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (72), Air permit holder (minor source) (45), Rail grade crossing (41). One correctional facility operates in the county. 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: 36.8555, -76.375.

How this county ranks in Virginia

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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 Portsmouth city compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	25.8	17.9	1.44xSignificant	21.5 to 30.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	43.4	30.2	1.44xSignificant	38.1 to 49.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	16.1	11.3	1.42xSignificant	12.9 to 19.9	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	191.6	143.2	1.34xSignificant	180 to 203.8	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	65.1	51.8	1.26xSignificant	58.5 to 72.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.1	6.6	1.23x	6 to 10.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	17	13.9	1.22x	13.7 to 21	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.6	5.7	1.16x	4.5 to 9.3	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	7.6	6.6	1.15x	5.3 to 10.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.8	3.4	1.12x	2.2 to 6	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4	3.7	1.08x	2.6 to 6.1	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.8	4.8	1x	3 to 7.2	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	443.5	453.4	0.98x	425.6 to 461.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	22.9	23.8	0.96x	18.9 to 27.5	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.9	4.1	0.95x	2.4 to 6.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.5	8.7	0.86x	5.4 to 10.2	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	15.5	18.7	0.83x	12.2 to 19.3	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5	6.2	0.81x	3.2 to 7.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	14.8	18.5	0.8x	11.6 to 18.6	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.5	4.4	0.8x	2.1 to 5.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	3.6	4.6	0.78x	2.2 to 5.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	8.1	14.5	0.56x	5.8 to 11	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	6.4	13	0.49x	4.4 to 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 Portsmouth city
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	15,223	9,842.6	+55%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	70.5	75.3	-6%	years
Child mortality	112.6	59.8	+88%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	9.9	6.2	+60%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	137	96.9	+41%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	75.9	28.6	+165%	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.

Formaldehyde18.33 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde1.63 per million
Benzene1.25 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

No EPA air quality monitor reports daily AQI for this county.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit72
Air permit holder (minor source)45
Rail grade crossing41
Small hazardous waste generator33
Large hazardous waste generator8
TRI reporting facility5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)5
Superfund (NPL) site4
Hazardous waste transporter3
Major air pollution source2
Airfield1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Heliport1
Biomass 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.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID VA1170024813 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Abex Corp., Portsmouth
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 36.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID VAD980551683 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Atlantic Wood Industries, Inc., Portsmouth
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 37.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID VAD990710410 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Peck Iron and Metal, Portsmouth
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 48.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID VAN000306115 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
U.S. Navy Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Butyl alcohol, Lead, Ethylbenzene and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 54,610 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23709SDDSNINTER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
U.S. Amines (Portsmouth) Llc, Portsmouth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Allylamine, Ammonia, Allyl chloride, 3-Chloro-2-methyl-1-propene. Reports carcinogens. 7,004 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23703CLNSC3230E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Us Navy Defense Fuel Support Point Craney Island, Portsmouth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 3,900 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23703CRNYS4501C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
U S Amines (Portsmouth) L L C, Portsmouth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342399 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Us Navy Defense Fuel Support Point Craney Island, Portsmouth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006886655 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Us Navy - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069999760 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Us Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 28 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 23701SDTSC4000C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Us Navy - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069999760 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Us Navy - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069999760 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Us Navy - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001889715 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Wheelabrator Portsmouth Inc, Portsmouth
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $13,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028047209 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Us Coast Guard Base - Portsmouth, Portsmouth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000826081 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.6
Wheelabrator Portsmouth Inc, Portsmouth
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $13,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028047209 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
U S Amines (Portsmouth) L L C, Portsmouth
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000342399 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Titan Virginia Ready Mix Llc - Port Norfolk Plant, Portsmouth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002030463 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
East Coast Repair & Fabrication Llc Div-3, Portsmouth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $8,103.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001890696 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Per Properties, Portsmouth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $9,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071075358 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Us Navy - Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110005216202 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Wheelabrator Portsmouth Inc, Portsmouth
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $13,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028047209 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Wheelabrator Portsmouth Inc, Portsmouth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $13,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028047209 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Us Coast Guard Base - Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000826081 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3

Correctional facilities

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

Hampton Road Regional Jail Authority, Portsmouth
EPA FRS registry ID
110020672645
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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.

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