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Clark County, Arkansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Clark County is 188.4 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 290 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (110), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (66), Rail grade crossing (32). 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: 34.0544, -93.162.

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 Clark County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	55.5	30.2	1.84xSignificant	43.4 to 70.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	82.2	51.8	1.59xSignificant	67.3 to 99.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	26.7	17.9	1.49x	17.9 to 38.4	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	188.4	143.2	1.32xSignificant	164.5 to 214.9	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	24.1	18.7	1.29x	16.2 to 34.7	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	494.8	453.4	1.09xSignificant	455.2 to 537.1	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	21.6	23.8	0.91x	13.8 to 32.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	14.4	18.5	0.78x	8.4 to 23.4	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 Clark County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	12,303.8	9,842.6	+25%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72.1	75.3	-4%	years
Child mortality	68.8	59.8	+15%	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	72.4	96.9	-25%	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.

Formaldehyde23.18 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.93 per million
Acetaldehyde2.33 per million
Benzene0.83 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 363 days: 351 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 34, peak 84.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge110
NPDES wastewater discharge permit66
Rail grade crossing32
Gas station (mapped facility)22
Air permit holder (minor source)13
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)9
TRI reporting facility5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)5
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)5
Major air pollution source3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Small hazardous waste generator3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
Public airport2
Brownfield property2
Hazardous waste transporter2
EPA air quality monitor1
Commercial airport1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
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.

(Veolia) Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc - Gum Springs Plant, Arkadelphia
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $77,310.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000608771 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc, Arkadelphia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Cyanide compounds, Aluminum oxide (fibrous forms), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Thallium compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 42,943,127 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71923RYNLD500ER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Gp Wood Products Llc Gurdon Plywood & Lumber Complex, Gurdon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Acetaldehyde, Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 585,674 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71743NTRNTHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.9
(Veolia) Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc - Gum Springs Plant, Arkadelphia
Major air pollution source. Penalties $77,310.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000608771 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
(Veolia) Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc - Gum Springs Plant, Arkadelphia
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $77,310.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000608771 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
(Veolia) Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc - Gum Springs Plant, Arkadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $77,310.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000608771 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Gp Wood Products South Llc Gurdon Plywood & Lumber Complex, Gurdon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017425071 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.6
(Veolia) Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc - Gum Springs Plant, Arkadelphia
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $77,310.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000608771 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Container Life Cycle Management Llc - Drumco, Arkadelphia
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057882260 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Building Materials Manufacturing Llc - Pmma Production, Arkadelphia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl methacrylate, Toluene, Benzoyl peroxide, Xylene (mixed isomers). 2,047 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71923SPLST35MCC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Siplast Liquid Waterproofing, Arkadelphia
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110024556229 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
(Veolia) Elemental Environmental Solutions Llc - Gum Springs Plant, Arkadelphia
Hazardous waste transporter. Penalties $77,310.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000608771 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Container Life Cycle Management Llc - Drumco, Arkadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057882260 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
I-30 Property Grading Improv, Arkadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064499706 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Building Materials Manufacturing Llc, Arkadelphia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 2 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71923SPLST1111H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.8
Gurdon, City Of, Gurdon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,400.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006786576 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Arkansas Department Of Transportation (Ardot) - Gurdon Rest Area, Gurdon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010065197 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Amity Waterworks, Amity
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011376019 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Container Life Cycle Management Llc - Drumco, Arkadelphia
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057882260 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Barksdale Lumber Co. Inc., Amity
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Arsenic compounds, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region). Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 71921BRKSDHWY8W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Barksdale Lumber Company, Inc, Amity
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010379483 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Blake Holder Deaton Residence, Gurdon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110054640885 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
South Central Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Inc., Arkadelphia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055622170 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Christian Williams Atu, Gurdon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071356152 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Siplast Icopal Inc, Arkadelphia
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110021299254 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4

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 Clark 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 Clark 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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