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Calhoun County, Arkansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Calhoun County is 197.1 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 231 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (109), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (46), Rail grade crossing (44). 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: 33.5349, -92.5471.

How this county ranks in Arkansas

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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 Calhoun County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	54.5	30.2	1.8xSignificant	34 to 86	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	74.1	51.8	1.43x	50.1 to 108.8	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	197.1	143.2	1.38xSignificant	154.5 to 250	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	435.6	453.4	0.96x	367.7 to 514.2	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 Calhoun County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	17,436.9	9,842.6	+77%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	69.9	75.3	-7%	years
Child mortality	n/a	59.8	n/a	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	147.9	96.9	+53%	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.

Formaldehyde22.56 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.93 per million
Acetaldehyde2.13 per million
Benzene0.68 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge109
NPDES wastewater discharge permit46
Rail grade crossing44
Large hazardous waste generator7
Small hazardous waste generator5
Air permit holder (minor source)4
Major air pollution source3
TRI reporting facility3
Brownfield property2
Hazardous waste transporter2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
Public airport1
Gas station (mapped facility)1
Solar power plant1
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.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., East Camden
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $30,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000859991 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.2
Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Llc - Fordyce Osb, Fordyce
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Diisocyanates and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 393,260 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71742GRGPC1GEOR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Llc Fordyce Osb, Fordyce
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $6,300.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012704029 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Armtec Countermeasures Co., East Camden
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000746364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., East Camden
Major air pollution source. Penalties $30,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000859991 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Armtec Countermeasures Co., East Camden
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000746364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Armtec Countermeasures Co., East Camden
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000746364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Austin Powder Company, East Camden
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001101922 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., East Camden
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $30,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000859991 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., East Camden
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $30,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000859991 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Tinsman, Ar Wastewater Treatment Facility, Hampton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024578704 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Lockheed Martin - Missiles & Fire Control, East Camden
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $12,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042063940 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Llc Fordyce Osb, Fordyce
Major air pollution source. Penalties $6,300.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012704029 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Ei Dorado, City Of-Ouachita River Joint Pipeline, El Dorado
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020177510 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Ark Gravel Co-Bradshaw Mine, Hampton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $54,900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030993236 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Georgia-Pacific Wood Products Llc Fordyce Osb, Fordyce
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,300.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012704029 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
General Dynamics - Ots, Inc., Hampton
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007412282 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.7
Armtec Countermeasures Co., East Camden
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000746364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Austin Powder Company, East Camden
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001101922 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
General Dynamics - Ots Inc. (Camden Op.), Hampton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitroglycerin, Dibutyl phthalate. 44 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71744HTCHN12MIW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.3
Shumaker Public Service Corp., East Camden
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $2,400.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010066347 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Brian Ramos, Hampton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070604972 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Armtec Countermeasures Co., East Camden
Hazardous waste transporter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000746364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Lockheed Martin - Missiles & Fire Control, East Camden
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $12,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042063940 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Hampton, City Of, Hampton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010067015 (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 Calhoun County

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