GA / county FIPS 13123 / county research

Gilmer County, Georgia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Gilmer County is 143.8 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 825 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (453), Industrial wastewater discharge (276), Rail grade crossing (40). 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: 34.706, -84.4542.

How this county ranks in Georgia

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

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 Gilmer County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	40.3	23.8	1.69xSignificant	32 to 50.3	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	19.2	14.5	1.32x	13.7 to 26.5	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8	6.6	1.21x	4.7 to 13	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	59.1	51.8	1.14x	50.5 to 69.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	20.6	18.7	1.1x	15.2 to 27.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11.8	11.3	1.04x	8 to 17.3	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	31.2	30.2	1.03x	25.1 to 38.9	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	462.6	453.4	1.02x	434.9 to 491.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	143.8	143.2	1x	129.1 to 160	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	8.6	8.7	0.99x	5 to 14.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.1	13.9	0.94x	8.8 to 19.2	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	11.8	13	0.91x	6.8 to 19.1	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	15.6	17.9	0.87x	10.5 to 22.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15	18.5	0.81x	10.5 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 Gilmer County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,784.2	9,842.6	+10%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	75.4	75.3	+0%	years
Child mortality	73.4	59.8	+23%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	9.5	6.2	+52%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	102.8	96.9	+6%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	31.1	28.6	+9%	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.

Formaldehyde20.52 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.81 per million
Acetaldehyde1.82 per million
Benzene0.68 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit453
Industrial wastewater discharge276
Rail grade crossing40
Gas station (mapped facility)22
Air permit holder (minor source)16
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)7
TRI reporting facility3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Small hazardous waste generator2
Public airport1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Heliport1

Highest-severity records

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

Pdq Manufacturing, Inc., Ellijay
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031019056 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Pilgrim'S Pride Ellijay Processing Plant, Ellijay
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Peracetic acid, Ozone. 17,903 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 30540GLDKSINDUS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
Ellijay-Gilmer County Water & Sewerage Authority (Ellijay Wpcp), Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006625937 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Pilgrim'S Pride - Ellijay Processing Plant, Ellijay
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000358390 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Ridge Rock - East Ellijay Plant, East Ellijay
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 3054WRDGRC94RIV (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Imerys Carbonates Usa, Inc., Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007073683 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Pdq Manufacturing, Inc., Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031019056 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Concrete Ready Mix - Ellijay, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070033335 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Cw Matthews Contracting, Co., Inc., Ellijay
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110007089364 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Vulcan Construction Materials, Llc - Ellijay Quarry, Ellijay
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110064339274 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Ridge Rock - East Ellijay Plant, East Ellijay
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071407782 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Ellijay Asphalt Plant, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070016631 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Fm Stainless, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071881173 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Vulcan Construction Materials, Llc (Ellijay Quarry), Ellijay
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit GA0037818: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 3
Pdq Manufacturing Inc, Ellijay
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers.
TRI facility ID 30540PDQMN21VIC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Sparks Lumber Co., Inc., Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070012733 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Gilmer County Board Of Education (Oakland Elementary School Wpcp), Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070064678 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Ridgerock Retaining Walls Llc, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071643567 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Gilmer County, Ellijay
Public airport. O.
Record ID 49A (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Ellijay Quarry, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110054894478 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Pilgrim'S Pride - Ellijay Processing Plant, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000358390 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Courier Dying & Printing, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013535594 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Blue Ridge Carpet, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055442837 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Act Four Inc. (Formerly Zyvax, Inc.), Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055927813 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Gilmer County Landfill, Ellijay
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110063662941 (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.

Sanitary Sewer Extension To Serve The Gilmer County Jail, Unknown
EPA FRS registry ID
110070015766
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Gilmer 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 Gilmer 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.

Scan an address in Gilmer County View on the heat map All Georgia counties