• 90% of all toxic chemical and criteria air pollutants released in Delaware County are from Chester area sources
• 100% of all municipal solid waste in Delaware Country is burned at the Westinghouse incinerator in Chester
• 90% of all sewage in Delaware County is treated at the Delcora sewage plant in Chester (as well as wastewater from industries)
• Sewage sludge from Delcora and three other County sewage plants is burned at the Delcora incinerator in Chester
• Medical waste from several states is treated at the Thermal Pure autoclave facility in Chester

• Chester has the highest infant mortality rate in the state, more than double the rate for Delaware County
• Chester has the highest percentage of low-weight births in the state, nearly double the percentage for Delaware County
• Chester has a mortality rate and a lung cancer mortality rate about 60% higher than the rates for Delaware County

• The population of Chester is 65% African-American, the highest percentage in the state and ten times higher than in Delaware County
• Median family income in Chester is 45% lower than in Delaware County
• The poverty rate in Chester is 25%, more than 3 times the rate in Delaware County

Last modified: 13 April 1996

http://www.ejnet.org/chester/factsheet.html