AK / county FIPS 02180 / county research

Nome Census Area, Alaska: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Nome Census Area is 207.3 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 2.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 264 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (99), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (73), Commercial airport (18). One correctional facility operates in the county. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 7 in a million, driven mainly by carbon tetrachloride.

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: 64.797, -163.919.

How this county ranks in Alaska

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

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 Nome Census Area compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	65.7	30.2	2.18xSignificant	39.3 to 102	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	84.2	51.8	1.63xSignificant	52.6 to 126.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	207.3	143.2	1.45xSignificant	156 to 268.9	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	427.8	453.4	0.94x	355.3 to 509.7	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 Nome Census Area
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	18,090.5	9,842.6	+84%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	68.9	75.3	-8%	years
Child mortality	177.5	59.8	+197%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	211.6	96.9	+118%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	n/a	28.6	n/a	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 7 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Carbon Tetrachloride3.19 per million
Formaldehyde2.99 per million
Benzene0.8 per million
Acetaldehyde0.3 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge99
NPDES wastewater discharge permit73
Commercial airport18
Air permit holder (minor source)15
Brownfield property11
Oil-fired power plant10
Public airport9
Landfill (mapped facility)8
Hazardous waste transporter7
Gas station (mapped facility)3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Small hazardous waste generator3
Major air pollution source1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)1
Wastewater plant (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.

Petrostar Inc. - Port Of Alaska Terminal, Anchorage
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Benzene, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,294 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 99501TSRLS1522P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Nome, Nome
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID OME (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 5
Norton Sound, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009037452 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Martinson Macklin Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017760948 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
James C Isabell School Bssd, Teller
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020127370 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Martinson Dry Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028070334 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Little Diomede School Bssd, Diomede
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110036412021 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Jackson Norton Sound Suction Dredge, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059782132 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Arctic Gold Mining Center Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059794085 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Arctic Gold Mining Little Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064031603 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Nome Airport, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110066922780 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Aurquest Alaska Coffee Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070151931 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Kingsberry Material Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070506220 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Sound Quarry Inc, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070528944 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Aurgold Otter Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070602718 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Diomede Health Clinic Wwtf, Diomede
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070837077 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Ryan Air Inc Unalakleet Hub, Unalakleet
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071080701 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Ryan Air Inc Nome Hub, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071148349 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Western Gold Exploration Basin Creek Mine Site, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071278823 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Solomon Gravel Source, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071438587 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Koyuk Sewage Treatment, Koyuk
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020435867 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Savoonga Sewage Lagoon, Savoonga
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040077617 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
St Michael Sewage Lagoon, Saint Michael
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056343568 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Shishmaref Sewage Lagoon, Shishmaref
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056343586 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Bering Air, Nome
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069418669 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3

Correctional facilities

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

Anvil Mountain Correctional Center, Nome
EPA FRS registry ID
110012969083
Water system
AK2340599
Health-based violations
0 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
54
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Nome Census Area

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

Scan an address in Nome Census Area View on the heat map All Alaska counties