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Lowndes County, Alabama: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Lowndes County is 175.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. Federal databases place 177 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (68), Rail grade crossing (37), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (31). 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: 32.1847, -86.6581.

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 Lowndes County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41.4	30.2	1.37x	28.3 to 59.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	175.6	143.2	1.23xSignificant	146.2 to 210	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	526.8	453.4	1.16xSignificant	471.7 to 587	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	59.1	51.8	1.14x	43.4 to 79.6	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 Lowndes County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	19,891.3	9,842.6	+102%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	67.6	75.3	-10%	years
Child mortality	117.2	59.8	+96%	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	130.4	96.9	+34%	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: 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.

Formaldehyde24.81 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.91 per million
Acetaldehyde2.55 per million
Pahpom0.75 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge68
Rail grade crossing37
NPDES wastewater discharge permit31
Gas station (mapped facility)16
Brownfield property7
Air permit holder (minor source)4
Small hazardous waste generator3
TRI reporting facility2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
Major air pollution source1
Public airport1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Hazardous waste transporter1
Hydroelectric plant1
Gas 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.

Sabic Innovative Plastics Us Llc, Burkville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Phenol, Dichloromethane, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,831,252 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 36752GPLSTONEPL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Sabic Innovative Plastics Us Llc, Lowndesboro
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $53,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017438762 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.8
Sabic Innovative Plastics Us Llc, Lowndesboro
Major air pollution source. Penalties $53,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017438762 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Sabic Innovative Plastics Us Llc, Lowndesboro
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $53,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017438762 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Sabic Innovative Plastics Us Llc, Lowndesboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $53,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017438762 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Koch Foods, Hope Hull
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025366654 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Sabic Innovative Plastics Us Llc, Lowndesboro
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $53,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017438762 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Mosses Wastewater Treatment Facility, Hayneville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009122403 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Meadows Pit, Lowndesboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $85,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070113117 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
One Stop #9, Letohatchee
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071847765 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
General Electric Plastic, Burkeville
Gas power plant.
Record ID 7698 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 3.1
Elmore Bolling Property, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060781266 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Old Hayneville Jail, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060781275 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Hayneville Gas Station, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071967537 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Elmore Bolling, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071969755 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Bozeman And Powell Property, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071969756 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Hayneville Jail Site, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071969757 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Russell School, Hayneville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071969758 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Sabic Innovative Plastics, Us, Llc, Burkville
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit AL0054704: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 3
Koch Foods Of Alabama,Hope Hull Feed Mill, Hope Hull
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Manganese compounds, Zinc compounds.
TRI facility ID 3604WKCHFD19TYS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Koch Foods, Hope Hull
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025366654 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Landsdown Corporation, Lowndesboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $8,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071526892 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Mosses Wastewater Treatment Facility, Hayneville
Industrial wastewater discharge. Significant/Category I Noncompliance.
NPDES permit AL0055883: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.3
Mcqueen Pit, Letohatchee
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit AL0059595: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.3
Hayneville Hcr Lagoon, Hayneville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043503866 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3

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 Lowndes 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 Lowndes 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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