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Carroll County, Illinois: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Carroll County is 185.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Liver & bile duct deaths at 1.9 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 239 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (66), Air permit holder (minor source) (56), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (45). One correctional facility operates in the county. 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: 42.0634, -89.9257.

How this county ranks in Illinois

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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 Carroll County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Leukemia	New cases	28	14.5	1.93xSignificant	18 to 41.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	12.5	6.6	1.89xSignificant	7.3 to 20.9	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	28.3	18.7	1.51xSignificant	19.6 to 40.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	36	23.8	1.51xSignificant	26.3 to 48.8	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	25.9	18.5	1.4x	17.4 to 37.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	185.2	143.2	1.29xSignificant	162.1 to 211.3	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	37.5	30.2	1.24x	27.3 to 50.9	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	512.4	453.4	1.13xSignificant	470.8 to 557.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	54.4	51.8	1.05x	42.2 to 69.8	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	11.9	13.9	0.86x	6.9 to 20.3	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 Carroll County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,316	9,842.6	-16%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.7	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	n/a	59.8	n/a	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	91.8	96.9	-5%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	n/a	28.6	n/a	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.

Formaldehyde14.98 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde1.4 per million
Benzene0.91 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing66
Air permit holder (minor source)56
NPDES wastewater discharge permit45
Industrial wastewater discharge37
TRI reporting facility8
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)8
Gas station (mapped facility)7
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)4
Public airport3
Major air pollution source1
Commercial airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Large hazardous waste generator1

Highest-severity records

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

Metform L.L.C. Hot Formed Products Plant, Savanna
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Chromium, Nickel, Lead and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 16,746 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61074MTFRM7034I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Metform Llc, Mount Carroll
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Manganese, Nickel, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 4,873 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 6105WDRTMT95SJA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Fci Thomson, Thomson
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 3,907 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 6128WSPTHM11NEM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Danisco Sweeteners Inc, Thomson
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nickel, Nitric acid. Reports carcinogens. 57 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61285STLYMROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Elkay Plumbing Products Co, Lanark
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Manganese, Nickel, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 51 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61046MDLLN15NRC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Elkay Plumbing Products Co, Savanna
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Manganese. Reports carcinogens. 46 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61074LKYMN64PEN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Usp Thomson, Thomson
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071434502 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Metform Corp., Savanna
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000436797 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Metform Llc, Mount Carroll
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018105209 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Elkay Manufacturing Co, Lanark
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018366579 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.7
Danisco Usa, Inc., Thomson
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000752506 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.6
Elkay Manufacturing Co, Savanna
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002023480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Excel Automotive, Mount Carroll
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001824713 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Eagle Creek Quarries, Milledgeville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009726699 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Lake Carroll - Sturtz Quarry, Shannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010023143 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Conmat- Loberg Quarry, Freeport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010023152 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Wendling Quarries Inc, Mt. Carroll
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018326382 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Savanna Quarry Inc, Savanna
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018362289 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Powerlab Inc, Savanna
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000436804 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.4
Powerlab Inc, Savanna
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead And Lead Compounds. 28 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61074PWRLBSHIGH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.1
Metform Corp, Savanna
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000436788 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Excel Automotive, Mount Carroll
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110001824713 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Wendling Quarries Inc, Mt. Carroll
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110018326382 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Savanna Quarry Inc, Savanna
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110018362289 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Savanna Army Depot Activity, Savanna
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000912870 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8

Correctional facilities

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

Federal Correctional Institution, Thomson
EPA FRS registry ID
110071673555
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Carroll County

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