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Chattooga County, Georgia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Chattooga County is 187.9 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 1.9 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 169 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (69), Rail grade crossing (39), Industrial wastewater discharge (32). 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: 34.4379, -85.337.

How this county ranks in Georgia

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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 Chattooga County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	57	30.2	1.89xSignificant	46.3 to 69.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	92.3	51.8	1.78xSignificant	78.5 to 108.1	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	10.4	6.6	1.58x	6.2 to 16.7	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	187.9	143.2	1.31xSignificant	167.7 to 210.1	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	22.4	17.9	1.25x	15.5 to 31.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	10.8	8.7	1.24x	6.4 to 17.4	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.1	11.3	1.07x	7.3 to 19.2	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	457.6	453.4	1.01x	424.6 to 492.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.9	13.9	1x	8.7 to 21.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.2	18.5	0.93x	11.2 to 25.5	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	14.8	18.7	0.79x	9.6 to 22.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	15	23.8	0.63x	9.5 to 22.7	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 Chattooga County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	14,488.4	9,842.6	+47%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	70.6	75.3	-6%	years
Child mortality	66.1	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	116.7	96.9	+20%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	34.8	28.6	+22%	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.

Formaldehyde23.65 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.88 per million
Acetaldehyde2.39 per million
Benzene0.88 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2024

Monitored on 240 days: 231 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 39, peak 77.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit69
Rail grade crossing39
Industrial wastewater discharge32
Gas station (mapped facility)10
Air permit holder (minor source)8
Public airport3
Major air pollution source2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
EPA air quality monitor1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
TRI reporting facility1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Showa Best Glove, Menlo
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000359291 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Showa Best Glove Inc, Menlo
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Zinc compounds. 10,450 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 30731BSTMNHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Showa Best Glove, Menlo
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000359291 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Mount Vernon Mills Inc Apparel Fabrics Div, Trion
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 7,062 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 30753MNTVROLDUS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. Apparel Fabrics Division, Trion
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000588123 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Summerville, City Of (Summerville Wpcp), Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $5,268.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039877005 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Menlo, City Of (Menlo Wpcp), Menlo
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,080.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010038912 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Showa Best Glove, Inc., Menlo
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064104785 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Sjt Used Auto Parts, Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070012905 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Plastic Recycling Facility, Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070029583 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Mohawk Industries, Inc., Lyerly
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064602069 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. Apparel Fabrics Division, Trion
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000588123 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Town Of Trion, Trion
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010583314 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. Apparel Fabrics Division, Trion
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000588123 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Mohawk Industries, Inc., Lyerly
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit GA0024104: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.8
Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. Apparel Fabrics Division, Trion
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000588123 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Mount Vernon Mills, Inc., Trion
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit GA0001422: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2
Trion Transfer Station, Trion
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071425762 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Aladdin Manufacturing Corp., Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006826587 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Chattooga, Llc (Silverleaf Farm Wpcp), Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010039859 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Summerville Early Headstart, Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007496673 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Summerville, City Of (Summerville Wtp), Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009138496 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Lyerly, Town Of (Lyerly Wpcp), Lyerly
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064583990 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Chattooga County Agricultural Building, Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067243432 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Best Glove Distribution Ctr, Menlo
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070006150 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5

Correctional facilities

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

Hays State Prison, Summerville
EPA FRS registry ID
110071994311
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Chattooga County

Georgia 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 Chattooga County, and their findings.
Georgia vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Georgia health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Georgia 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.
Georgia 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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