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Perry County, Indiana: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Perry County is 154.7 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 186 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (48), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (45), Rail grade crossing (28). 2 correctional facilities operate in the county. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 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: 38.0546, -86.6098.

How this county ranks in Indiana

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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 Perry County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	25.3	17.9	1.41x	16.7 to 36.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	154.7	143.2	1.08x	134 to 178.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	54.8	51.8	1.06x	43.1 to 69	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	31.1	30.2	1.03x	22.5 to 42.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	13.6	13.9	0.98x	7.7 to 22.6	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.6	18.5	0.95x	10.7 to 27.6	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	402.9	453.4	0.89x	367.8 to 440.7	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	11.5	18.7	0.61x	6.7 to 19.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	14.4	23.8	0.61x	8.2 to 23.9	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 Perry County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,978.6	9,842.6	-29%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77.3	75.3	+3%	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	67.8	96.9	-30%	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: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde21.11 per million
Pahpom4.64 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde2.15 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 317 days: 294 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 36, peak 84.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge48
NPDES wastewater discharge permit45
Rail grade crossing28
Brownfield property16
Combined sewer overflow outfall10
Air permit holder (minor source)9
Gas station (mapped facility)9
Large hazardous waste generator3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Correctional facility (prison or jail)2
Solar power plant2
TRI reporting facility2
Major air pollution source1
EPA air quality monitor1
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Small hazardous waste generator1
Hazardous waste transporter1
Hydroelectric plant1

Highest-severity records

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

Waupaca Foundry-Plant 5, Tell City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Benzene, Methanol, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 766,373 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 47586WPCFN9856S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Culvert Placement And Storage Area Expansion For Waupaca Foundry Plant 5 Facilit, Tell City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009973831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Org Chem Group Llc, Troy
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Anthracene, Phenanthrene and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 36,803 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 47588CNSLDEIGHT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Culvert Placement And Storage Area Expansion For Waupaca Foundry Plant 5 Facilit, Tell City
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009973831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 6
Culvert Placement And Storage Area Expansion For Waupaca Foundry Plant 5 Facilit, Tell City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009973831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Culvert Placement And Storage Area Expansion For Waupaca Foundry Plant 5 Facilit, Tell City
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009973831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Meggitt (Troy) Inc., Troy
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000792875 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000731968 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Culvert Placement And Storage Area Expansion For Waupaca Foundry Plant 5 Facilit, Tell City
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009973831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Webb Wheel Products Inc, Tell City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020159843 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016:001 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016:003 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016:006 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016:009 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016:010 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Tell City Wwtp, Tell City
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021016:102 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Cannelton Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cannelton
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0064913:001 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Cannelton Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cannelton
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0064913:003 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Cannelton Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cannelton
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0064913:004 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
General Electric Co, Tell City
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000403607 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
General Electric Co, Tell City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000403607 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Can Clay Corporation, Cannelton
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002066736 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Bruce Property, Cannelton
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015330569 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Tell City Chair Company, Tell City
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038742616 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3

Correctional facilities

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

Branchville Correction Facility, Tell City
EPA FRS registry ID
110007568596
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Branchville Correctional Facilities, Branchville
EPA FRS registry ID
110058506772
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Perry County

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