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Pickens County, Georgia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Pickens County is 163.6 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 1.5 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 395 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (208), Industrial wastewater discharge (85), Rail grade crossing (42). 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: 34.4697, -84.4869.

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 Pickens 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	54.3	23.8	2.28xSignificant	45 to 65.2	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	8.4	4.6	1.83xSignificant	5.3 to 13	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	24.9	14.5	1.72xSignificant	18.5 to 33	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	6.2	3.7	1.68x	3.5 to 10.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	45.3	30.2	1.5xSignificant	37.4 to 54.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	8.5	5.7	1.49x	5.1 to 13.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	75.1	51.8	1.45xSignificant	65.2 to 86.4	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	27.1	18.7	1.45xSignificant	21.1 to 34.7	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	574.3	453.4	1.27xSignificant	543.6 to 606.5	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	16.2	13	1.25x	10.7 to 23.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	7.6	6.2	1.23x	4.1 to 12.9	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.8	17.9	1.16x	14.9 to 28.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.4	18.5	1.16x	15.8 to 28.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	163.6	143.2	1.14xSignificant	147.9 to 180.7	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	6.4	6.6	0.97x	3.6 to 10.9	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	11.8	13.9	0.85x	7.9 to 17.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.2	8.7	0.83x	4.3 to 11.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5.4	6.6	0.82x	3 to 9.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	7.9	11.3	0.7x	5 to 12.4	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 Pickens County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,079.3	9,842.6	+2%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	75.1	75.3	-0%	years
Child mortality	56.4	59.8	-6%	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	87.7	96.9	-10%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	35.3	28.6	+23%	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.

Formaldehyde22.11 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.83 per million
Acetaldehyde1.97 per million
Benzene0.79 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit208
Industrial wastewater discharge85
Rail grade crossing42
Gas station (mapped facility)25
Air permit holder (minor source)13
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)7
Major air pollution source3
TRI reporting facility3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Small hazardous waste generator2
Commercial airport1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
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.

Royston L L C, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000356604 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.3
Royston Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium, Manganese, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 277 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 30143PCKRYOLDHI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Lexington Precision, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000765164 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Imerys Marble, Inc. (Marble Hill Operations), Marble Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070011210 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Concrete Ready Mix - Jasper, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070019312 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Standridge Color Corporation, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070894242 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Royston L L C, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000356604 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Thomas Concrete Jasper Plant, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070012503 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Royston L L C, Jasper
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110000356604 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Imerys Marble Inc., Marble Hill
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002444748 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Big Canoe Utilities Company, Inc. (Blackwell Creek Wtp), Marble Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,717.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006777817 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Huber Carbonates, Llc (Marble Hill), Marble Hill
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010039662 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Imerys Carbonates Usa, Inc - Whitestone Facility, Whitestone
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071087924 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Imerys Carbonates Usa, Inc. (Whitestone), Talking Rock
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017709256 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Timberland Cabinets, Jasper
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064383527 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Imerys Carbonates Usa, Inc. (Whitestone), Talking Rock
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070013880 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Thomas Concrete - Jasper, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead And Lead Compounds, Lead compounds, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution).
TRI facility ID 3014WTHMSC615GE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3.1
Imerys Marble Inc., Marble Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002444748 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Jasper, City Of (Tate Housing Project Wpcp), Tate
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008981851 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Huber Carbonates, Llc (Marble Hill), Marble Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010039662 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Qsrinc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds.
TRI facility ID 30143LXNGT250RI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Lexington Precision, Jasper
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000765164 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Lexington Precision, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000765164 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Tate Elementary, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $551.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010038832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Polycor Georgia Marble, Tate
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit GA0001261: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.6

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 Pickens 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 Pickens 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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