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Craighead County, Arkansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Craighead County is 172.6 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 1.6 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 829 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (294), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (258), Rail grade crossing (86). 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: 35.8379, -90.6604.

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 Craighead County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	47.7	30.2	1.58xSignificant	42.4 to 53.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	27.7	17.9	1.55xSignificant	23.5 to 32.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	75.4	51.8	1.46xSignificant	68.6 to 82.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.8	3.4	1.41x	3.2 to 6.9	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	5.7	4.1	1.39x	3.9 to 8	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	24.5	18.7	1.31xSignificant	20.6 to 28.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.7	4.4	1.3x	3.9 to 7.9	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	172.6	143.2	1.21xSignificant	162.1 to 183.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4.3	3.7	1.16x	2.8 to 6.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	16.7	14.5	1.15x	13.5 to 20.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.5	4.8	1.15x	3.8 to 7.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	504.9	453.4	1.11xSignificant	486.7 to 523.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	4.4 to 8.8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	20.2	18.5	1.09x	16.7 to 24.2	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	7.2	6.6	1.09x	5.1 to 9.9	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.8	16.4	1.09x	11 to 27.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7.1	6.6	1.08x	5.2 to 9.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9	8.7	1.03x	6.8 to 11.7	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24.4	23.8	1.03x	20.5 to 28.8	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.2	6.2	1x	4.3 to 8.5	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	12.9	13	0.99x	10 to 16.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11	11.3	0.97x	8.5 to 14	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.1	4.6	0.89x	2.7 to 6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	11.6	13.9	0.83x	9 to 14.7	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 Craighead County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,319.7	9,842.6	+5%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	74.4	75.3	-1%	years
Child mortality	75.9	59.8	+27%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	8.2	6.2	+31%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	71.5	96.9	-26%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	13.3	28.6	-53%	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.

Formaldehyde22.9 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde2.21 per million
Benzene0.88 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge294
NPDES wastewater discharge permit258
Rail grade crossing86
Gas station (mapped facility)46
Air permit holder (minor source)45
Small hazardous waste generator18
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)17
TRI reporting facility14
Public airport10
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)10
Large hazardous waste generator7
Major air pollution source6
Brownfield property6
Large greenhouse gas emitter4
Hazardous waste transporter2
Heliport2
Commercial airport1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Gas 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.

Crane Composites Inc, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Cumene hydroperoxide. Reports carcinogens. 34,662 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72402BPCHM8500C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Abb Installation Products Inc., Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc (fume or dust), Zinc compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Lead compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 10,980 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72401FMCGR5601E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Acme Brick Co Jonesboro, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen fluoride, Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Manganese compounds. 188,387 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72403WHLRBHWY63 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Riceland Foods Inc. - Jonesboro Div, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuryl fluoride. 90,077 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72403RCLNDNORTH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Hytrol Conveyor Co Inc, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 184 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72401HYTRL2020H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Great Dane, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Chromium, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 152 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72401GMLTR2800B (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Nestle Usa Inc., Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 13,512 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72401NSTLPNENES (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Acme Brick Company - Jonesboro Plant, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452484 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Riceland-Jonesboro, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006535222 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Fmh Conveyors Americas, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, Chromium and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 52 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7240WFMHCN971EH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Crane Composites Inc, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003401266 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Nice Pak Products Inc, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers. 2,247 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7240WNCPKP1NICE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Abb Power Protection Llc D/B/A Abb Installation Products, Inc., Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452439 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Camfil Air Pollution Control, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Lead, Diisocyanates. Reports carcinogens. 20 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72403FRRCX3501A (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Great Dane Trailers, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001705307 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Colson Group Usa Llc, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds. 1,392 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7240WCLSNC2121B (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
Colson Caster Corporation, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070828839 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Nice-Pak Products, Inc, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110037360995 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Post Consumer Brands, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11). 700 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7240WPSTCN58CWP (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.2
Colson Caster Corp, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds. 648 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72401CLSNC3700A (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.2
Fmh Conveyors Americas, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070126659 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.7
Hytrol Conveyor Company, Jonesboro
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001710159 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.6
Lake City, City Of, Lake City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010066613 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Apex Tool Group, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 72401DLTNC4800K (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Mid South Sales Jonesboro, Jonesboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Naphthalene, Xylene (mixed isomers). Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 7240WMDSTH243CU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5

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 Craighead 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 Craighead 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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