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Muscatine County, Iowa: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Muscatine County is 148 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 401 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (160), Air permit holder (minor source) (58), Industrial wastewater discharge (46). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 20 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: 41.4766, -91.0768.

How this county ranks in Iowa

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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 Muscatine 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	38.2	23.8	1.61xSignificant	30.8 to 46.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	13.7	8.7	1.57xSignificant	9.6 to 19	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	10.2	6.6	1.55x	6.6 to 15.3	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.9	17.9	1.34xSignificant	18.1 to 30.9	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	6.3	4.8	1.31x	3.7 to 10.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	17.4	13.9	1.25x	12.7 to 23.4	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	15.7	13	1.21x	10.7 to 22.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	13.4	11.3	1.19x	9.5 to 18.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	17.1	14.5	1.18x	12.3 to 23.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	21.8	18.7	1.17x	16.6 to 28.2	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	509.9	453.4	1.12xSignificant	482.7 to 538.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	20.5	18.5	1.11x	15.4 to 26.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	56.7	51.8	1.09x	48.3 to 66.3	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.6	6.2	1.06x	3.7 to 11	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	31.4	30.2	1.04x	25.3 to 38.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	148	143.2	1.03x	133.9 to 163.3	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 Muscatine County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,717.2	9,842.6	-22%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.7	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	50.6	59.8	-15%	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	72.8	96.9	-25%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	8.6	28.6	-70%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 20 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde16.55 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde1.73 per million
Benzene0.85 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 241 good, 2 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 43, peak 141.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing160
Air permit holder (minor source)58
Industrial wastewater discharge46
NPDES wastewater discharge permit22
Brownfield property21
Gas station (mapped facility)19
Major air pollution source15
Small hazardous waste generator12
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)11
TRI reporting facility9
Large greenhouse gas emitter8
EPA air quality monitor4
Large hazardous waste generator4
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)3
Public airport2
Oil-fired power plant2
Commercial airport1
Heliport1
Coal 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.

Grain Processing Corp, Muscatine
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017404548 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.2
Grain Processing Corp, Muscatine
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acetaldehyde, n-Hexane, Ammonia, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 629,879 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52761GRNPR1600O (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Muscatine Power & Water Generation, Muscatine
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000415827 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Bayer Cropscience Lp, Muscatine
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formaldehyde, Ammonia, Triethylamine, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 283,301 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52761MNSNTWIGGI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Muscatine Power & Water Generation, Muscatine
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium And Barium Compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Hydrogen fluoride, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 249,730 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52761MSCTN1700I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Ssab Iowa Inc., Muscatine
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Sodium nitrite, Zinc compounds, Manganese And Manganese Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 226,383 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52761PSCST1770B (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Gerdau Wilton, Wilton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Manganese compounds, Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Lead compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 44,655 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52778NRTHSHWY38 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Ipsco Steel-Montpelier Wks Ilap, Muscatine
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008524034 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Gerdau, Wilton
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000772913 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Kraft Heinz - Muscatine, Muscatine
Major air pollution source. Penalties $8,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000415765 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.3
Harsco Metals - Iowa, Muscatine
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese compounds, Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Nickel And Nickel Compounds, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,184 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52761HCKTT1770Z (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
West Liberty Foods L.L.C., West Liberty
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 77,409 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 52776LSRCH207WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Kraft Heinz - Muscatine, Muscatine
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $8,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000415765 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Muscatine Power & Water Generation, Muscatine
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000415827 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Grain Processing Corp, Muscatine
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017404548 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Bayer Cropscience Lp, Muscatine
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018869474 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Muscatine Plant #1, Muscatine
Coal power plant.
Record ID 1167 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.2
Muscatine Power & Water Generation, Muscatine
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000415827 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
City Of Muscatine Water & Resource Recovery Facility, Muscatine
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000789479 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Grain Processing Corp, Muscatine
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017404548 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
West Liberty Foods - West Liberty, West Liberty
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000415925 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Gerdau, Wilton
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000772913 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
West Liberty City Of Stp, West Liberty
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002045670 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Ipsco Steel-Montpelier Wks Ilap, Muscatine
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008524034 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Grain Processing Corp, Muscatine
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017404548 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5

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 Muscatine County

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