City · TRI 2024

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania Pollution

1 TRI facilities inside the city limits and 8 public water systems serving residents. In-city TRI releases fell meaningfully year over year (-17%). Toxic releases concentrations are roughly unchanged from 2019.

FIPS 4223016 · population 11,805 · Lancaster County

IN-CITY TRI RELEASES · 20192024
Bar chart of annual values from 2019 to 2024, in lb. Most recent year (2024): 65k.94k'19'20'21'22'23'2465k
Anomaly engine

Notable Signals

UNRESOLVED VIOLATION · SDWIS VIOLATION

Contaminant 0700

Unresolved Drinking water rule (140) violation cited in 2024 (contaminant 0700).

EPA SDWIS record

UNRESOLVED VIOLATION · SDWIS VIOLATION

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)

Unresolved Total Trihalomethanes Rule violation cited in 2021 (haloacetic acids (haa5)).

EPA SDWIS record

UNRESOLVED VIOLATION · SDWIS VIOLATION

Contaminant 0700

Unresolved Drinking water rule (140) violation cited in 2021 (contaminant 0700).

EPA SDWIS record

UNRESOLVED VIOLATION · SDWIS VIOLATION

Contaminant 0700

Unresolved Drinking water rule (140) violation cited in 2021 (contaminant 0700).

EPA SDWIS record

Showing the 4 most editorially weighted signals out of 11. Lower-severity signals fold into the chemical breakdown and history charts below.

Pollutant pathways

Elizabethtown Pollutant Multi-Year Trends

CRITERIA AIRSINCE 2010

PM2.5 annual mean (NAAQS 9 µg/m³ (annual))Health riskFine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They travel deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream — linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

8.65 µg/m³ · -31% YoY · -48% since 2010

PM2.5 annual mean (NAAQS 9 µg/m³ (annual)) concentrations have fallen 48% since 2010.

CRITERIA AIRSINCE 2010

PM2.5 24-hour 98th percentile (NAAQS 35 µg/m³ (24-hour))Health riskFine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They travel deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream — linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

22.57 µg/m³ · -50% YoY · -41% since 2010

PM2.5 24-hour 98th percentile (NAAQS 35 µg/m³ (24-hour)) concentrations have fallen 41% since 2010.

CRITERIA AIRSINCE 2010

Ozone 8-hour 4th-highest daily max (NAAQS 0.070 ppm (8-hour))Health riskGround-level ozone (smog) forms when vehicle and industrial emissions react in sunlight. Inflames the airways, triggers asthma attacks, and worsens heart and lung disease.

0.067 ppm · -3% YoY · -26% since 2010

Ozone 8-hour 4th-highest daily max (NAAQS 0.070 ppm (8-hour)) concentrations have fallen 26% since 2010.

CRITERIA AIRSINCE 2010

NO₂ annual mean (NAAQS 53 ppb (annual))Health riskA tailpipe and combustion gas. Concentrates near busy roads and industrial sites; raises risk of airway inflammation, asthma, and lower respiratory infections in children.

9.4 ppb · +3% YoY · -34% since 2010

NO₂ annual mean (NAAQS 53 ppb (annual)) concentrations have fallen 34% since 2010.

HAZARDOUS AIR2020 VINTAGE

Lifetime cancer risk all pollutants (100 in a million (EPA elevated threshold))Health riskEPA-modeled added cancer cases per million residents from a lifetime of breathing local air toxics. EPA flags 100-in-a-million as elevated.

30.0 per million · 2020 vintage

Single-vintage exposure modeling — EPA cadence is multi-year, so no trend line yet.

HAZARDOUS AIR2020 VINTAGE

Formaldehyde ambient mean (0.077 µg/m³ (1-in-a-million URE))Health riskAn air toxic emitted by refineries, wood products, and combustion. EPA classifies it as a known human carcinogen — long-term inhalation raises cancer risk.

1.50 µg/m³ · 2020 vintage

Single-vintage exposure modeling — EPA cadence is multi-year, so no trend line yet.

HAZARDOUS AIR2020 VINTAGE

Benzene ambient mean (0.13 µg/m³ (1-in-a-million URE))Health riskAn air toxic from gasoline, refineries, and tobacco smoke. A known human carcinogen — chronic exposure is linked to leukemia and other blood cancers.

0.23 µg/m³ · 2020 vintage

Single-vintage exposure modeling — EPA cadence is multi-year, so no trend line yet.

TRI AIRSINCE 2019

TRI air releases (5.1 fugitive + 5.2 stack)Health riskToxic chemicals reported by industrial facilities as released into the air — fugitive leaks plus smokestack emissions. Higher pounds means more inhaled exposure for nearby residents.

0 lb · YoY · since 2019

TRI air releases (5.1 fugitive + 5.2 stack) volumes here are too small to anchor a multi-year trend; YoY movement is still shown above.

TRI WATERSINCE 2019

TRI water releases (5.3)Health riskToxic chemicals reported by industrial facilities as discharged to surface waters (rivers, lakes, the ocean). Affects fishing, recreation, and downstream drinking-water intakes.

0 lb · YoY · since 2019

TRI water releases (5.3) volumes here are too small to anchor a multi-year trend; YoY movement is still shown above.

TRI LANDSINCE 2019

TRI land + off-site releasesHealth riskToxic chemicals released to land on-site or transferred off-site for disposal — landfills, deep-well injection, and similar. Risks groundwater contamination over time.

65k lb · -17% YoY · -1% since 2019

TRI land + off-site releases concentrations are roughly unchanged from 2019.

GHGSINCE 2010

Greenhouse gases (GHGRP large emitters, through 2023)Health riskGreenhouse gases reported by large industrial emitters under EPA's GHGRP, in metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. Drives climate warming and the heat-related health effects that follow.

0.7M metric tons CO₂e · -3% YoY · -10% since 2010

Greenhouse gases (GHGRP large emitters, through 2023) concentrations have fallen 10% since 2010.

Top facilities · TRI 2024

Largest Emitters Inside The City

FacilityTop chemicalTotal releasesYoY
Mars Wrigley US LLCMars INCNitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution)Health riskDrinking-water nitrate causes methemoglobinemia ('blue-baby syndrome') in infants; EPA MCL is 10 mg/L as N. (EPA)65k lb-17%
Drinking water · SDWIS

Water Systems Serving Elizabethtown

39 unresolved violations on the SDWIS record across utilities serving this city.

SDWIS · 5-YR WINDOW
8

Utilities serving

SDWIS · 5-YR WINDOW
23,705

Population served

SDWIS · 5-YR WINDOW
14

Health-based · 5yr

SDWIS · 5-YR WINDOW
39

Unresolved

Water systemPWSIDPopulation servedHealth-based · 5yrStatus
Magic Chef Mhp PrivatePA7360024326UNRESOLVED
Elizabethtown Area Water MunicipalPA736012419,0004UNRESOLVED
Penny Park PrivatePA7360056513UNRESOLVED
Lancaster Est PrivatePA73600903041Returned to compliance
Masonic Homes MixedPA73600253,7070UNRESOLVED
Lakeview Mobile Home Park PrivatePA73600232750UNRESOLVED

Showing the 6 systems with recorded health-based or unresolved violations. 2 additional systems are in compliance with no recorded health-based violations in the past 5 years and are not individually tabulated.

A public water systemis the regulated entity, not the city. EPA's SDWIS definition covers anything serving 25+ people for 60+ days a year or with 15+ service connections — that includes municipal utilities (City of Stockton), water districts, mobile home parks operating their own wells, schools, and small private subdivisions. Each system is independently monitored. Some systems serve multiple cities; some cities are served by many systems.

Equity context · ACS 2018-2022 · USEPA-clone EJ disparity

Who Lives In Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania (Census place block groups): 11,805 residents. City disparity score for pm2.5 (fine particulate) sits below the reference (53). Why we surface this →

POPULATION SHARE
8.0%

Low-income

POPULATION SHARE
11.8%

People of color

POPULATION SHARE
6.5%

Under age 5

POPULATION SHARE
15.5%

Over age 64

NATIONAL PERCENTILE · vs all US block groups (population-weighted; ranked against the national EJScreen indicator distribution)

  • PM2.5 (fine particulate)Health riskFine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They travel deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream — linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.79above the national median
  • OzoneHealth riskGround-level ozone (smog) inflames the airways. Even short exposures trigger asthma attacks and worsen chronic lung and heart disease.45near the national median
  • Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)Health riskA tailpipe and combustion gas. Concentrates near busy roads and industrial sites; raises risk of airway inflammation, asthma, and lower respiratory infections in children.32below the national median
  • Diesel particulateHealth riskSoot from diesel engines (trucks, trains, ports, construction). EPA classifies it as a likely human carcinogen and a major driver of childhood asthma near freight corridors.58near the national median
  • Toxic releases (RSEI)Health riskEPA's Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators score — weights TRI chemical releases by toxicity, where they go, and how many people are nearby. Higher means greater modeled cancer and chronic-health risk.90in the highest 20% nationally
  • Traffic proximityHealth riskPopulation-weighted distance to high-volume roads. Living close to heavy traffic raises exposure to PM2.5, NO₂, and diesel exhaust — and the cardiovascular and asthma risks that follow.32below the national median
  • Lead-paint risk (pre-1960 housing)Health riskShare of housing built before 1960, when lead-based paint was common. Dust from deteriorating paint is the leading cause of childhood lead poisoning, which permanently impairs cognitive development.74above the national median
  • Superfund site proximityHealth riskPopulation-weighted distance to NPL Superfund sites — the most contaminated waste sites in the country. Nearby groundwater, soil, and air can carry industrial solvents, metals, and other long-lived contaminants.85in the highest 20% nationally
  • RMP-facility proximityHealth riskDistance to facilities holding chemicals at quantities large enough to require an EPA Risk Management Plan (refineries, fertilizer plants, etc.). These pose acute exposure risk during accidental releases.28below the national median
  • Hazardous-waste site proximityHealth riskDistance to RCRA hazardous-waste handlers (treatment, storage, disposal facilities). Indicates potential exposure to industrial chemicals in air, soil, and groundwater.41near the national median
  • Underground storage tanksHealth riskDensity of underground tanks (gasoline, heating oil, industrial fluids). Leaking tanks are a leading source of benzene and other volatile organic compounds in groundwater drinking-water supplies.73above the national median
  • NPDES wastewater proximityHealth riskDistance to permitted industrial wastewater dischargers. Closer proximity raises exposure to pollutants released into surface waters used for fishing, recreation, and downstream drinking-water intakes.71above the national median
  • Drinking-water non-complianceHealth riskEPA score for public water systems with health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations. Higher means more residents on systems that recently exceeded safe limits for contaminants like lead, arsenic, or nitrate.76above the national median
EJ disparity scores · population-weighted across city block groups (100 = national reference; higher = greater disparate burden)
IndicatorDisparity scoreReading
PM2.5 (fine particulate)53below the reference
Ozone40well below the reference
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)21well below the reference
Diesel particulate38well below the reference
Toxic releases (RSEI)59below the reference
Traffic proximity22well below the reference
Lead-paint risk (pre-1960 housing)46well below the reference
Superfund site proximity55below the reference
RMP-facility proximity2well below the reference
Hazardous-waste site proximity26well below the reference
Underground storage tanks44well below the reference
NPDES wastewater proximity45well below the reference
Drinking-water non-compliance0well below the reference

Source: Census ACS 2018-2022 (5-year) + USEPA-clone EJ blockgroup stats (raw indicators + EJ disparity mirror).

Sources.