GA / county FIPS 13179 / county research

Liberty County, Georgia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Liberty County is 177.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Pancreas deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 552 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (289), Industrial wastewater discharge (143), Rail grade crossing (37). 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: 31.8253, -81.5252.

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 Liberty County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Leukemia	Deaths	9	5.7	1.58x	5.4 to 13.8	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	17.1	11.3	1.51xSignificant	12.5 to 22.9	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	43	30.2	1.42xSignificant	35.3 to 51.7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	9.3	6.6	1.41x	6 to 13.8	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	19.5	13.9	1.4xSignificant	14.3 to 25.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	70	51.8	1.35xSignificant	60 to 81.2	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	8.8	6.6	1.33x	5.5 to 13.3	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.1	17.9	1.29x	17.7 to 29.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	11.2	8.7	1.29x	7.4 to 16.2	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	177.9	143.2	1.24xSignificant	161.6 to 195.4	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	506.7	453.4	1.12xSignificant	479 to 535.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24.8	23.8	1.04x	18.9 to 31.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	13.4	14.5	0.92x	9.1 to 19	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	14.9	18.7	0.8x	10.2 to 20.9	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	13.9	18.5	0.75x	9.5 to 19.4	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	6.7	13	0.52x	3.9 to 10.8	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 Liberty County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	12,510.2	9,842.6	+27%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72.9	75.3	-3%	years
Child mortality	87.1	59.8	+46%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.9	6.2	+12%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	79.1	96.9	-18%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	21.3	28.6	-25%	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.

Formaldehyde21.05 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.92 per million
Acetaldehyde2.07 per million
Pahpom0.7 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit289
Industrial wastewater discharge143
Rail grade crossing37
Gas station (mapped facility)27
Air permit holder (minor source)13
Major air pollution source7
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)7
Brownfield property6
TRI reporting facility5
Large hazardous waste generator4
Large greenhouse gas emitter3
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Airfield1
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
Solar 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.

Snf Riceboro Plant, Riceboro
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $22,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027375775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Interstate Paper Llc Dba Dssmith Riceboro, Riceboro
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $54,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059257806 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Chemtall Incorporated; Flocryl Llc, Riceboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Acrylic acid, n-Hexane, Chloromethane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 2,638,178 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 31323CHMTLCHEMI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Interstate Paper Llc Dba Dssmith Riceboro, Riceboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Hydrogen sulfide, Chlorine, Lead compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,449,734 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 31323NTRSTONEIN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Firth Rixson Forgings Llc, Midway
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043230170 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.2
Ft. Stewart (Dept. Of The Army), Fort Stewart
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022863980 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
Flocryl Llc-Acrylates, Riceboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Methyl acrylate, Methanol, Methyl methacrylate. Reports carcinogens. 11,950 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 31323NCFMF674CH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Us Army Fort Stewart (Part), Fort Stewart
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Lead And Lead Compounds, Toluene, Nitroglycerin and 2 more. 1,004,732 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 31314SRMYF1550C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Snf Riceboro Plant, Riceboro
Major air pollution source. Penalties $22,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027375775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Interstate Paper Llc Dba Dssmith Riceboro, Riceboro
Major air pollution source. Penalties $54,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059257806 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Firth Rixson Forgings Llc, Midway
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium, Cobalt. Reports carcinogens. 2,347 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3132WFRTHR93DUN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Snf Riceboro Plant, Riceboro
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $22,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027375775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Snf Riceboro Plant, Riceboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $22,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027375775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Target Distribution Center T3808, Midway
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $1,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110044969460 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Interstate Paper Llc Dba Dssmith Riceboro, Riceboro
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $54,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059257806 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Elan Technology, Inc., Midway
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057723129 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Flocryl Llc - Acrylamide Plant, Riceboro
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acrylic acid, Acrylonitrile, Acrylamide. Reports carcinogens. 529 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 31323BFLCRCHEMI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Snf Riceboro Plant, Riceboro
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $22,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027375775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Interstate Paper Llc Dba Dssmith Riceboro, Riceboro
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $54,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059257806 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Elan Technology Inc, Midway
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Barium And Barium Compounds, Nitric acid. 2,117 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3132WLNTCH169EL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Snf Riceboro Plant, Riceboro
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $22,600.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027375775 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Target Distribution Center T3808, Midway
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110044969460 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Elan Technology, Inc., Midway
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057723129 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Ft. Stewart (Dept. Of The Army), Fort Stewart
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022863980 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Hunter Army Airfield, Hinesville
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000788504 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5

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 Liberty 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 Liberty 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 Liberty County View on the heat map All Georgia counties