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Walker County, Alabama: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Walker County is 192.1 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 1,178 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (763), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (205), Rail grade crossing (133). 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: 33.7599, -87.2766.

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 Walker County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	54	30.2	1.79xSignificant	47.5 to 61.3	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	72.1	51.8	1.39xSignificant	64.5 to 80.4	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	192.1	143.2	1.34xSignificant	179.3 to 205.6	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	6.4	4.8	1.33x	4.2 to 9.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.4	17.9	1.31xSignificant	18.7 to 28.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	8	6.2	1.29x	5.3 to 11.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.5	6.6	1.29x	6 to 11.9	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4.7	3.7	1.27x	3 to 7.2	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.7	4.6	1.24x	3.7 to 8.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	10.6	8.7	1.22x	7.7 to 14.4	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.9	4.1	1.2x	3.1 to 7.6	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.2	4.4	1.18x	3.2 to 8.1	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.7	11.3	1.12x	9.7 to 16.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	4.1 to 9.3	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	498	453.4	1.1xSignificant	476.5 to 520.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.5	3.4	1.03x	2 to 5.9	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	14.9	14.5	1.03x	11.4 to 19.4	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.5	6.6	0.98x	4.4 to 9.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	12.8	13.9	0.92x	9.6 to 16.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.7	18.5	0.9x	13 to 21.3	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	20.7	23.8	0.87x	16.3 to 25.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	14.9	18.7	0.8x	11.5 to 19	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10	13	0.77x	6.9 to 14.2	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 Walker County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	18,377.1	9,842.6	+87%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	67.8	75.3	-10%	years
Child mortality	69.2	59.8	+16%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	8.1	6.2	+31%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	123.6	96.9	+28%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	51	28.6	+78%	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.

Formaldehyde24.82 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.91 per million
Acetaldehyde2.52 per million
Benzene0.91 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,178 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Industrial wastewater discharge763
NPDES wastewater discharge permit205
Rail grade crossing133
Air permit holder (minor source)15
Gas station (mapped facility)14
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)12
Small hazardous waste generator8
TRI reporting facility8
Landfill (mapped facility)5
Brownfield property4
Major air pollution source3
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Heliport2
Commercial airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Hydroelectric 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.

Sun Coast Resources Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Polycyclic aromatic compounds, n-Hexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,593 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3550WHGRLC12LDB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Jasper Lumber Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 580 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35502JSPRL2700H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Nelson Brothers Llc Parrish, Parrish
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Maleic anhydride, Ammonia, Diethanolamine. 10,743 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35580NLSNBOLDBA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Mar-Jac Poultry Al Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Peracetic acid. 9,972 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35502MRSHLPARRI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Nelson Brothers Specialty Chemicals, Llc, Parrish
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000367399 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Dyno Nobel Inc, Parrish
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia. 6,383 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 35580BRNRC8425H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Green Tree Shavings Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 62 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3550WBTSHV135LD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Mar-Jac Poultry Al, Llc, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010103743 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Nelson Brothers Llc - Samoset Facility, Cordova
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia. 3,652 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3555WNLSNB477HR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.7
Nelson Brothers, Llc - Samoset Facility, Cordova
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025315175 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Boren Explosives Co Inc, Parrish
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000589266 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Jasper Lumber Co/So Wood Chips - Green Tree Shavings, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007234670 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Southern Wood Chips Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 3550WSTHRN12LDR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Hayashi Telempu Na, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069235688 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Southeast Wood, Nauvoo
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000367371 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Ready Mix Usa Llc- Jasper Block Plant, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010107909 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Slick Finish Auto Detail, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110063878567 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Hayashi Telempu Na, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates. 30 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3550WHLYSH34IND (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.1
Oakman Lagoon Hcr, Oakman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009121770 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Hager Oil Company, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013312254 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Warrior River Truck Parts, Cordova
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110044248766 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Pleasant Grove South Mine, Oakman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013683816 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Crescent Valley Project, Carbon Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110033017198 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Slate Creek Mine, Oakman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040432662 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Sumiton Lagoon, Sumiton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055998336 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8

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 Walker 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 Walker 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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