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Spokane County, Washington: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Spokane County is 153.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Melanoma of the skin deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate and Brain & nervous system deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,330 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (321), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (253), Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility) (215). 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: 47.6437, -117.4305.

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 Spokane County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	3	2	1.5xSignificant	2.4 to 3.6	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.5	4.4	1.25xSignificant	4.8 to 6.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4.6	3.7	1.24xSignificant	3.9 to 5.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.8	4.8	1.21xSignificant	5 to 6.7	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.7	5.7	1.18xSignificant	5.9 to 7.7	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4.8	4.1	1.17x	4 to 5.6	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7.2	6.2	1.16x	6.2 to 8.2	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	153.6	143.2	1.07xSignificant	149.4 to 157.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.9	11.3	1.05x	10.7 to 13.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.9	6.6	1.05x	6.1 to 7.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.5	3.4	1.03x	2.9 to 4.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	30.5	30.2	1.01x	28.7 to 32.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.4	4.6	0.96x	3.7 to 5.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13	13.9	0.94x	11.8 to 14.3	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	17.1	18.7	0.91x	15.7 to 18.5	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	11.3	13	0.87x	10.1 to 12.7	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	13.6	16.4	0.83x	10.5 to 17.3	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	42	51.8	0.81x	39.9 to 44.3	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	352.8	453.4	0.78x	346.3 to 359.5	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	13.5	17.9	0.75x	12.2 to 14.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	6.1	8.7	0.7x	5.3 to 7	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	4.4	6.6	0.67x	3.7 to 5.2	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	1.8	2.7	0.67x	1.4 to 2.4	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	11.8	18.5	0.64x	10.7 to 13.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	9.1	14.5	0.63x	8 to 10.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	13.2	23.8	0.55x	12 to 14.6	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 Spokane County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,069.8	9,842.6	-18%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.9	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	43.1	59.8	-28%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	4.2	6.2	-33%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	98.6	96.9	+2%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	31	28.6	+8%	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.

Formaldehyde17.91 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.82 per million
Naphthalene2.82 per million
Acetaldehyde2.66 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 236 good, 3 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 43, peak 126.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,330 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Rail grade crossing321
NPDES wastewater discharge permit253
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)215
Gas station (mapped facility)196
Small hazardous waste generator59
Brownfield property53
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)36
Large hazardous waste generator35
TRI reporting facility30
Air permit holder (minor source)29
Public airport19
Hazardous waste transporter10
Major air pollution source9
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)8
Superfund (NPL) site8
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)7
EPA air quality monitor6
Large greenhouse gas emitter6
Heliport6
Landfill (mapped facility)6
Scrapyard (mapped facility)5
Commercial airport4
Hydroelectric plant4
Gas power plant2
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Crematorium (mapped facility)1
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.

Fairchild Air Force Base (4 Waste Areas), Spokane County
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 32. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WA9571924647 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Kaiser Aluminum (Mead Works), Mead
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 38.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAD000065508 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
North Market Street, Spokane
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 32.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAD000641548 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
General Electric Co. (Spokane Shop), Spokane
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 57.8. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAD001865450 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Mica Landfill, Mica
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 34.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAD980511661 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Colbert Landfill, Spokane
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 41.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAD980514541 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Greenacres Landfill, Spokane County
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 28.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAD980514608 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Grain Handling Facility at Freeman, Freeman
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WAN001003081 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Kaiser Aluminum Fabricated Products, Spokane
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $379,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043786285 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.6
Spokane Galvanizing Inc, Airway Heights
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $32,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011558590 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.1
Mutual Materials Mica, Mica
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000491343 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Fiber-Tech Industries, Spokane Valley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Methyl methacrylate. Reports carcinogens. 432,772 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99216FBRGLN3808 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Honeywell Electronic Materials Inc, Spokane
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000491548 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.8
Melcher Manufacturing Co Inc, Spokane Valley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 41,078 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99212MLCHRE6017 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Central Pre Mix Sullivan, Spokane
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110005362240 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Central Pre-Mix Sullivan Road, Spokane
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Lead And Lead Compounds, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 15,096 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99212CNTRL192NS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Par Montana Spokane Terminal, Spokane
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Toluene, Benzene, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 14,053 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99212XXNMB6311E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Huntwood Industries, Liberty Lake
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, n-Butyl alcohol, Ethylbenzene and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 12,580 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99019HNTWD238AP (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Kaiser Aluminum Washington Llc, Spokane Valley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Copper And Copper Compounds, Copper compounds, Copper and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 12,048 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99215KSRLME1500 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Kaiser Aluminum Fabricated Products, Spokane
Major air pollution source. Penalties $379,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043786285 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Phillips 66 Spokane-Parkwater Terminal, Spokane
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, n-Hexane, Xylene (mixed isomers), Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,592 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99212CNCPR6317E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Spokane Industries, Spokane Valley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Chromium, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 6,806 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99220SPKNSBUILD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Goodrich Landing Systems Carbon Operations, Spokane
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen cyanide, Ethylene, Ammonia, Naphthalene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 5,088 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99224GDRCH11135 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Travis Pattern & Foundry Inc, Spokane
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1-Bromopropane, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 3,288 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99207TRVSPE1413 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Purina Mills Inc Ust 2918, Spokane
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000491441 (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.

Airway Heights Corrections Center, Airway Heights
EPA FRS registry ID
110005398426
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Spokane 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 Spokane 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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