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St. Francis County, Arkansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in St. Francis County is 178.6 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 184 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (74), Industrial wastewater discharge (32), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (29). One correctional facility operates in the county. 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: 35.0159, -90.7238.

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 St. Francis County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	48.3	30.2	1.6xSignificant	37.5 to 61.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	20.4	14.5	1.41x	13.3 to 30.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	69.4	51.8	1.34xSignificant	56.6 to 84.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	14.2	11.3	1.26x	8.5 to 22.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	178.6	143.2	1.25xSignificant	156.7 to 202.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.5	17.9	1.15x	13.8 to 29.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.5	13.9	1.04x	8.7 to 22.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	468.4	453.4	1.03x	433 to 506.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	13.2	18.7	0.71x	7.7 to 21.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	12.9	18.5	0.7x	7.6 to 20.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	14.5	23.8	0.61x	8.8 to 22.6	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 St. Francis County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	15,430.4	9,842.6	+57%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	70.4	75.3	-6%	years
Child mortality	119.2	59.8	+99%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	13.3	6.2	+115%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	113	96.9	+17%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	17.2	28.6	-40%	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.

Formaldehyde23.21 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde2.33 per million
Benzene0.73 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing74
Industrial wastewater discharge32
NPDES wastewater discharge permit29
Gas station (mapped facility)20
Air permit holder (minor source)10
Major air pollution source2
Commercial airport2
Brownfield property2
Heliport2
Solar power plant2
TRI reporting facility2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
Public airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Scrapyard (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.

Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forrest City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 6,703 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7233WFDRLB131DA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forrest City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $3,360.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041627200 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Boar'S Head Provisions Co Inc, Forrest City
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,400.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452242 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Forrest City Wwtp, Forrest City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039736088 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Boar'S Head Provisions Co Inc. - Forrest City, Forrest City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 126 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72336BRSHD2530W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.6
Hughes, City Of - Sewage Treatment Facility, Hughes
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010067202 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forrest City
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $3,360.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041627200 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Eshani Mahit Llc - Relax Inn, Heth
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006786022 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Entergy Ar - Moses, Forrest City
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006035370 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Lindsey Brothers Gin-Caldwell, Caldwell
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025026059 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Butler Elementary School, Madison
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038726242 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Bush Street Farm, Hughes
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071969727 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Entergy Ar - Moses, Forrest City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006035370 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Palestine, City Of - Palestine Wastewater Treatment Plant, Palestine
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039695318 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Widener, Town Of, Widener
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025005964 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Madison, City Of-Wwtp, Madison
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit AR0037893: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.5
Boar'S Head Provisions Co Inc, Forrest City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $2,400.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452242 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Wheatley, City Of, Wheatley
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit AR0036315: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.5
Hughes, City Of - Sewage Treatment Facility, Hughes
Industrial wastewater discharge. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit AR0021547: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.3
Madison, City Of-Wwtp, Madison
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010066034 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Boar'S Head Provisions Co Inc, Forrest City
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $2,400.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452242 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Riceland Foods, Inc. - Wheatley, Wheatley
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $7,900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001710863 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Mapco Express, Inc. - Store #3154, Wheatley
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009006878 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Wheatley, City Of, Wheatley
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010066338 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forrest City
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $3,360.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041627200 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forrest City
EPA FRS registry ID
110041627200
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for St. Francis 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 St. Francis 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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