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Washington County, Arkansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Washington County is 146.1 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 1,281 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (483), Industrial wastewater discharge (451), Gas station (mapped facility) (79). 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: 35.9947, -94.24.

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 Washington County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7.3	6.2	1.18x	5.8 to 9	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.8	4.1	1.17x	3.6 to 6.3	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.6	4.8	1.17x	4.3 to 7.1	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25.5	23.8	1.07x	22.7 to 28.6	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.1	2	1.05x	1.4 to 3.1	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	146.1	143.2	1.02x	139.3 to 153.2	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	5.8	5.7	1.02x	4.5 to 7.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.7	3.7	1x	2.7 to 4.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.4	3.4	1x	2.4 to 4.6	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	30.2	30.2	1x	27.2 to 33.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.5	4.6	0.98x	3.3 to 5.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.3	4.4	0.98x	3.2 to 5.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.4	6.6	0.97x	5.1 to 8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.3	17.9	0.97x	15 to 19.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	49.2	51.8	0.95x	45.3 to 53.4	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	412.5	453.4	0.91x	401 to 424.3	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	17	18.7	0.91x	14.7 to 19.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.9	8.7	0.91x	6.4 to 9.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15.9	18.5	0.86x	13.7 to 18.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	9	11.3	0.8x	7.4 to 10.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	10.8	13.9	0.78x	9 to 12.9	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10.1	13	0.78x	8.3 to 12.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	10.7	14.5	0.74x	8.9 to 12.8	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	11.3	16.4	0.69x	7.5 to 16.3	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	4.4	6.6	0.67x	3.3 to 5.8	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	1.5	2.7	0.56x	0.9 to 2.4	2020-2024

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 Washington County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,081.2	9,842.6	-18%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.8	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	52.4	59.8	-12%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.8	6.2	+10%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	53.8	96.9	-45%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	11.2	28.6	-61%	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.

Formaldehyde21.51 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.85 per million
Acetaldehyde1.95 per million
Naphthalene1.13 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 304 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 40, peak 74.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,281 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit483
Industrial wastewater discharge451
Gas station (mapped facility)79
Rail grade crossing73
Air permit holder (minor source)45
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)27
Small hazardous waste generator22
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)22
TRI reporting facility21
Large hazardous waste generator12
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)7
Brownfield property6
Major air pollution source5
Large greenhouse gas emitter4
Heliport4
Public airport3
Gas power plant3
Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
EPA air quality monitor2
Commercial airport2
Hazardous waste transporter2
Battery storage plant2
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
Solar power 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.

Kawneer Co. Inc., Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Dimethyl phthalate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 607,951 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72765KWNRC600KA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.9
American Tubing Arkansas Llc, Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1-Bromopropane, Propylene, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 252,663 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764MRCNT1603F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Azz Galvanizing Services-Arkansas, Prairie Grove
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 10,463 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72753RKNSSPRAIR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Marshalltown Co, Fayetteville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 5,158 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72701MRSHL2200I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Moistureshield Inc., Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Formaldehyde, Maleic anhydride. Reports carcinogens. 2,601 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764SPRNG81NJE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Tyson Poultry Inc. - Berry Street Plant, Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Peracetic acid. 72,236 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764TYSNF600NB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Conagra Foods Packaged Foods Llc, Fayetteville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nitric acid, Peracetic acid. 52,440 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72701CMPBL1100W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Cargill Processing Plant Springdale Ar, Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Peracetic acid. 51,112 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764CRGLL800RA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Kawneer Company Incorporated, Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000453205 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Tyson Poultry Inc-Randall Road Cornish Plant/Long Haul Truck, Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Peracetic acid. 20,800 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764TYSNFRANDA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
George'S Processing Inc, Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Peracetic acid, Ammonia. 8,121 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764GRGSS1306K (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Tyson Foods - Berry, Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000453189 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
SPRINGDALE, Springdale
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 051430005 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 5.9
Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003395852 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Fayetteville, Arkansas - Frozen Foods, Fayetteville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452821 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
George'S Feed Mill, Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Peracetic acid, Zinc compounds, Manganese compounds, Manganese And Manganese Compounds. 2,058 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764GRGSNMAINO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Arkgalv, Inc., Prairie Grove
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000452956 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
George'S Processing Inc, Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000743624 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Elkins, City Of, Elkins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020836844 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Prairie Grove Wwtp, Prairie Grove
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055982628 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Pratt & Whitney Psd Inc., Springdale
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 18 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 72764PRTTW275ER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Pratt & Whitney Psd Inc, Springdale
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002129857 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Tyson Foods - Randall Road Cornish Plant, Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003396913 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
George'S Farms, Inc. - Springdale Feed Mill, Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003398476 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Springdale Complex, Springdale
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110037147842 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2

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 Washington 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 Washington 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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