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Skagit County, Washington: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Skagit County is 155.3 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Brain & nervous system deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 601 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (273), Rail grade crossing (98), Gas station (mapped facility) (65). 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: 48.4766, -121.7632.

How this county ranks in Washington

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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 Skagit County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Brain & nervous system	New cases	8.7	6.2	1.4xSignificant	6.7 to 11.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.8	2	1.4x	1.8 to 4.2	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	5.1	3.7	1.38xSignificant	3.8 to 6.8	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	22.4	16.4	1.37x	14.5 to 33.1	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	6	4.4	1.36xSignificant	4.5 to 8	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	19.5	14.5	1.34xSignificant	16.6 to 22.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	23.8	18.7	1.27xSignificant	20.8 to 27.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	29.9	23.8	1.26xSignificant	26.3 to 33.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.1	6.6	1.23x	6.4 to 10.2	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.4	18.5	1.16x	18.5 to 24.8	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.6	4.1	1.12x	3.3 to 6.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.3	4.8	1.1x	3.9 to 7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.6	8.7	1.1x	7.7 to 11.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	155.3	143.2	1.08xSignificant	147.5 to 163.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.9	11.3	1.05x	9.9 to 14.3	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	31.8	30.2	1.05x	28.5 to 35.5	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	475	453.4	1.05xSignificant	460.5 to 489.9	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	4.8	4.6	1.04x	3.6 to 6.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.7	5.7	1x	4.3 to 7.5	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.7	2.7	1x	1.7 to 4.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	50.7	51.8	0.98x	46.4 to 55.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17	17.9	0.95x	14.3 to 20.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.2	3.4	0.94x	2.2 to 4.6	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.2	6.6	0.94x	4.6 to 8.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	12.4	13.9	0.89x	10.3 to 14.9	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	8	13	0.62x	6 to 10.5	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 Skagit County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,898.4	9,842.6	-30%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.5	75.3	+4%	years
Child mortality	28.8	59.8	-52%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	3.4	6.2	-45%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	83.8	96.9	-14%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	30.6	28.6	+7%	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.

Formaldehyde12.76 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3 per million
Acetaldehyde1.8 per million
Naphthalene1.42 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 363 days: 354 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 25, peak 57.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit273
Rail grade crossing98
Gas station (mapped facility)65
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)38
Small hazardous waste generator24
Air permit holder (minor source)14
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)14
TRI reporting facility12
Brownfield property9
Large hazardous waste generator9
Major air pollution source7
Hazardous waste transporter7
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)6
Public airport5
Large greenhouse gas emitter5
Heliport4
EPA air quality monitor2
Gas power plant2
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Commercial airport1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
Hydroelectric 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.

Tesoro Marathon Anacortes Refinery, Anacortes
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $40,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000537250 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Shell Opus Puget Sound Refinery, Anacortes
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $80,128.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008214360 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Sierra Pacific Industries, Mount Vernon
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $66,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031256316 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.7
Hf Sinclair Puget Sound Refining Llc, Anacortes
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 671,436 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 98221PGTSN600ST (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co Llc, Anacortes
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Toluene, Hydrogen sulfide, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 614,603 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 98221SHLLLWESTM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.9
Port Of Anacortes Dakota Creek, Anacortes
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110054906081 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Janicki Industries Inc Sw, Sedro-Woolley
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110054932187 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
Draper Valley Farms, Mount Vernon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010900604 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.4
Pacific Woodtech Corporation, Burlington
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $54,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017940433 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.4
Janicki Industries Inc, Sedro Woolley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Diisocyanates. Reports carcinogens. 25,939 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 98284JNCKM24595 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Tesoro Marathon Anacortes Refinery, Anacortes
Major air pollution source. Penalties $40,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000537250 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Shell Opus Puget Sound Refinery, Anacortes
Major air pollution source. Penalties $80,128.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008214360 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Pacific Woodtech Corporation, Burlington
Major air pollution source. Penalties $54,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017940433 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Sierra Pacific Industries, Mount Vernon
Major air pollution source. Penalties $66,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031256316 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Spi Burlington, Mount Vernon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. Reports carcinogens. 4,936 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 9827WSPBRL14353 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Tesoro Marathon Anacortes Refinery, Anacortes
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $40,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000537250 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Tesoro Marathon Anacortes Refinery, Anacortes
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $40,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000537250 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Shell Opus Puget Sound Refinery, Anacortes
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $80,128.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008214360 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Shell Opus Puget Sound Refinery, Anacortes
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $80,128.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008214360 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Hrc Recycling A Div Of Hallmark Ref Co, Mount Vernon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015969950 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Pacific Woodtech Corporation, Burlington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $54,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017940433 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Sierra Pacific Industries, Mount Vernon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $66,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031256316 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Dakota Creek Industries Inc., Anacortes
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers). 58,067 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 9822WDKTCR824TH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Chemtrade Solutions Llc, Anacortes
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Hydrogen sulfide. 41,684 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 98221GNRLC655NT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Chemtrade, Anacortes
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000773333 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5

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 Skagit County

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