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Coles County, Illinois: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Coles County is 164.8 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 413 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (108), Air permit holder (minor source) (103), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (91). 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: 39.5433, -88.217.

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 Coles County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	8.1	4.6	1.76xSignificant	5.1 to 12.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	5.4	3.4	1.59x	3 to 9	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	76.7	51.8	1.48xSignificant	67 to 87.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	44.4	30.2	1.47xSignificant	37.2 to 52.7	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	5	3.7	1.35x	2.9 to 8.3	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.8	6.6	1.33x	5.7 to 13.2	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.9	4.8	1.23x	3.5 to 9.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.7	17.9	1.16x	15.5 to 27.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	164.8	143.2	1.15xSignificant	150.6 to 180.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.6	11.3	1.12x	9.1 to 17.3	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.9	6.2	1.11x	4 to 11.2	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	20.5	18.7	1.1x	15.7 to 26.4	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	13.7	13	1.05x	9.2 to 19.7	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24	23.8	1.01x	18.4 to 30.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	450.7	453.4	0.99x	426.1 to 476.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	14.4	14.5	0.99x	9.9 to 20.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.6	18.5	0.95x	13.1 to 23.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.9	8.7	0.91x	5 to 11.9	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	11	13.9	0.79x	7.7 to 15.6	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 Coles County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,240.9	9,842.6	-6%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	75.3	75.3	+0%	years
Child mortality	43.4	59.8	-27%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.9	6.2	+10%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	69.4	96.9	-28%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	16.7	28.6	-42%	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.

Formaldehyde17.68 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde1.62 per million
Benzene0.82 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing108
Air permit holder (minor source)103
NPDES wastewater discharge permit91
Industrial wastewater discharge48
Gas station (mapped facility)17
Combined sewer overflow outfall11
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)9
Small hazardous waste generator7
TRI reporting facility5
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)4
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)3
Major air pollution source2
Brownfield property2
Commercial airport1
Large hazardous waste generator1
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.

Ox Engineered Products, Charleston
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1-Bromopropane, Diisocyanates. Reports carcinogens. 8,330 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61920THCLT1255N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Anamet Electrical Inc, Mattoon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438580 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Lsc Communications / Mattoon, Mattoon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene. 90,580 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61938RRDNNROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Vesuvius Usa, Charleston
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438535 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.7
Vesuvius Usa Charleston Plant, Charleston
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Phenol, Aluminum (fume or dust). 1,445 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61920VSVSS955N5 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
Metl-Span A Div Of Nci Group Inc, Mattoon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates. 688 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61938NCBLDINTER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.2
Coles County Meml, Mattoon/Charleston
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID MTO (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 5
Dow Chemical Co, Charleston
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438517 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.9
Bimbo Bakeries Usa Inc, Mattoon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 250 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 61938KRFTNWESTS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.8
Safety Storage Inc, Charleston
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438492 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Safety Storage Inc, Charleston
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438492 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Vesuvius Usa, Charleston
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438535 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Conagra Foods Packaged Foods Llc, Mattoon
Major air pollution source. Penalties $17,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438571 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Anamet Electrical Inc, Mattoon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438580 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001808465 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Mervis Industries, Mattoon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110005801579 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Mars Pet Care Us Inc, Mattoon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018347029 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Lender'S Bagel Bakery, Mattoon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030776097 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
John Wade Private Sewage Disposal System, Mattoon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060365000 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Nelson Kauffman Private Sewage Disposal System, Humboldt
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067187387 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Charleston Stone Company - Ashmore Limestone Quarry, Ashmore
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070891934 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Justrite Manufacturing Co Llc, Mattoon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Manganese. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 61938JSTRTWESTR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Anamet Electrical Inc, Mattoon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Copper compounds, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Lead compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 61938NMTNCEASTR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Safety Storage Inc, Charleston
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438492 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Anamet Electrical Inc, Mattoon
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110000438580 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4

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 Coles 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 Coles 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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