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Franklin County, Alabama: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Franklin County is 173.3 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 1.8 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 298 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (131), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (69), Rail grade crossing (40). 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: 34.4502, -87.8441.

How this county ranks in Alabama

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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 Franklin County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	54.6	30.2	1.81xSignificant	44.9 to 65.8	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	9.3	6.2	1.5x	5.3 to 15.2	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	75.3	51.8	1.45xSignificant	63.9 to 88.3	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	173.3	143.2	1.21xSignificant	155.5 to 192.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.6	17.9	1.15x	14.4 to 28.5	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.7	8.7	1.11x	5.8 to 15.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11.9	11.3	1.05x	7.6 to 17.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	403.2	453.4	0.89x	375.4 to 432.6	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	15.4	18.7	0.82x	10.6 to 21.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	11	14.5	0.76x	6.8 to 16.8	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	13	18.5	0.7x	8.3 to 19.4	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	9.6	13.9	0.69x	5.9 to 14.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	15.4	23.8	0.65x	10.2 to 22.3	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 Franklin County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	13,059	9,842.6	+33%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.5	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	61.3	59.8	+3%	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	108.1	96.9	+12%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	27.2	28.6	-5%	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.

Formaldehyde23.19 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.89 per million
Acetaldehyde2.27 per million
Benzene0.73 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge131
NPDES wastewater discharge permit69
Rail grade crossing40
Gas station (mapped facility)15
Air permit holder (minor source)14
TRI reporting facility8
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)8
Small hazardous waste generator4
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)2
Large hazardous waste generator2
Major air pollution source1
Public airport1
Brownfield property1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Heliport1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Certainteed Llc, Russellville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formaldehyde. Reports carcinogens. 18,909 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35653THCLTWALNU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Pilgrims Pride Russellville Processing Plant, Russellville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Peracetic acid. 201,447 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35653GLDNPCOUNT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Tiffin Motorhomes Inc., Red Bay
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, Diisocyanates, Methyl methacrylate and 1 more. 155,264 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35582TFFNM5024T (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Tiffin Motorhomes Inc., Red Bay
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000367415 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Gold Kist Russellville Processing Plant, Russellville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000716413 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Saint-Gobain Vetrotex America Inc, Russellville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000367727 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
B&B Roadway And Security Solutions, Llc, Russellville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006792060 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
B&B Roadway, Russellville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 3565WBBRDW15191 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.6
Gates Corporation, Red Bay
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043065893 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.2
Gates Corp, Red Bay
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds. 21 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35582GTSRBRT1BO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4
Ready Mix Usa, Llc - Russellville Plant, Russellville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010107712 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Southern Energy Homes, Inc. Dba Russellville (Formerly Southern Energy Homes, In, Russellville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110063021037 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
M/J Feed Mill Al, Llc, Spruce Pine
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070255715 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Russellville Wwtp, Russellville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056001375 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Tiffin Motorhomes Inc., Red Bay
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000367415 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
G&G Steel, Inc., Russellville
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007917843 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Tiffin Motor Homes Inc, Red Bay
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041381750 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
North Alabama Sand And Gravel, Phil Campbell
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008999799 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Phil Campbell Wwtp, Phil Campbell
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055975459 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Cotton Gin Site, Red Bay
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071978226 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Bear Creek Mine, Phil Campbell
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012331299 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
M/J Feed Mill Al Llc, Spruce Pine
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Manganese compounds, Zinc compounds.
TRI facility ID 3558WMJFDM41SHB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Ready Mix Usa Llc - Russellville Plant, Russellville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead And Lead Compounds.
TRI facility ID 3565WRDYMX14765 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Russellville, Russellville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates.
TRI facility ID 3565WSTHRN137HW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Franklin Homes Inc, Russellville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010108668 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8

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 Franklin County

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