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Hempstead County, Arkansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Hempstead County is 180.4 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Leukemia deaths at 2.5 times the U.S. rate and Liver & bile duct deaths at 2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 409 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (161), Rail grade crossing (93), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (93). 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: 33.7437, -93.7148.

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 Hempstead County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Leukemia	Deaths	14.1	5.7	2.47xSignificant	7.9 to 23.5	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	13.3	6.6	2.02xSignificant	7.4 to 22.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	47.4	30.2	1.57xSignificant	36.5 to 60.8	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	12.7	8.7	1.46x	7.3 to 21	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	72.6	51.8	1.4xSignificant	59.1 to 88.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	14.8	11.3	1.31x	9.1 to 23.2	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	180.4	143.2	1.26xSignificant	157.7 to 205.7	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	15.9	14.5	1.1x	9 to 25.9	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.9	13.9	1x	8.2 to 22.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.7	17.9	0.99x	11.3 to 26.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	369.6	453.4	0.82x	336.7 to 405.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	12.9	18.5	0.7x	7.5 to 21.2	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 Hempstead County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	11,967.2	9,842.6	+22%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	73.3	75.3	-3%	years
Child mortality	66.5	59.8	+11%	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	77.2	96.9	-20%	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.

Formaldehyde24.56 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.92 per million
Acetaldehyde2.3 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

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

Industrial wastewater discharge161
Rail grade crossing93
NPDES wastewater discharge permit93
Air permit holder (minor source)13
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)11
TRI reporting facility10
Gas station (mapped facility)7
Major air pollution source5
Large greenhouse gas emitter3
Small hazardous waste generator3
Public airport2
Brownfield property2
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Heliport1
Coal power plant1
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.

American Electric Power John W. Turk Jr Plant, Fulton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium And Barium Compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Ammonia, Vanadium compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,779,415 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7183WJHNWT3711H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.5
Hexion Inc. - Hope Plant, Hope
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Formaldehyde, Ammonia, Phenol and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 142,109 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71801BRDNC185NI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
New Millennium Building Systems Llc, Hope
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Propylene, Certain glycol ethers, Manganese, Nickel and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 119,131 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71801SMJSTHWY32 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Turk Power Plant, Fulton
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $7,716.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028925581 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.2
Tyson Chicken Inc. - Hope Processing Plant, Hope
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Hydrogen sulfide, Peracetic acid. 4,466,717 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71801HDSNFPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Amerities South Llc, Hope
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Creosote, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 28,438 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7180WMRTSS4359H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Tyson Foods - Hope Processing Plant, Hope
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000597685 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
John W Turk Jr Power Plant, Fulton
Coal power plant.
Record ID 56564 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.7
Ralston Holdings Qozb Llc Dba Tolber Chemical, Hope
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Propylene oxide. Reports carcinogens. 567 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 71801PYRMD220WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Hexion, Inc. - Hope Plant, Hope
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000451190 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Amerities South Llc, Hope
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043508291 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
New Millennium Building Systems, Llc, Hope
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000597701 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.1
Turk Power Plant, Fulton
Major air pollution source. Penalties $7,716.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028925581 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Pyramid Plastics Inc, Hope
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000451234 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.9
Hope Baking Company, Hope
Major air pollution source. Penalties $7,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022850841 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Turk Power Plant, Fulton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $7,716.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028925581 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Casey Godwin, Hope
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046294942 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Jerry Nance, Saratoga
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070146575 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Residential Dwelling, Hope
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070257251 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Jim Ralph Atu, Hope
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071437587 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Josh Smith, Hope
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071513881 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Dawson Akin Atu, Fulton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071524998 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Anthony Wood Treating, Inc., Hope
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003399162 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Hope Baking Company, Hope
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $7,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022850841 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Turk Power Plant, Fulton
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $7,716.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028925581 (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 Hempstead 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 Hempstead 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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