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Starke County, Indiana: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Starke County is 198.4 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 1.6 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 162 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (68), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (32), Industrial wastewater discharge (25). 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: 41.2938, -86.6208.

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 Starke County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	New cases	87.8	51.8	1.69xSignificant	74.3 to 103.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	49.1	30.2	1.63xSignificant	39.3 to 60.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	16.3	11.3	1.44x	10.6 to 24.3	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	198.4	143.2	1.39xSignificant	177.3 to 221.7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.1	6.6	1.23x	4.6 to 13.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	16.7	13.9	1.2x	10.9 to 24.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.8	8.7	1.13x	5.7 to 16.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	20.4	18.7	1.09x	14.1 to 28.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	467.2	453.4	1.03x	433.3 to 503.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.3	17.9	0.97x	11.3 to 25.6	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.6	18.5	0.9x	10.8 to 24.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	13.6	23.8	0.57x	8.4 to 21.2	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 Starke County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	12,709.6	9,842.6	+29%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72.1	75.3	-4%	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	126.3	96.9	+30%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	60.3	28.6	+111%	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.

Formaldehyde15.13 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.96 per million
Acetaldehyde1.41 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

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

Rail grade crossing68
NPDES wastewater discharge permit32
Industrial wastewater discharge25
Gas station (mapped facility)8
Air permit holder (minor source)6
Public airport4
Combined sewer overflow outfall4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
TRI reporting facility3
Major air pollution source2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Brownfield property1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Small 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.

Mpi Engineered Technologies Llc, Knox
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Chromium, Nickel, Copper. Reports carcinogens. 2,633 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 46534MPNDN12KLE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Mpi International Llc, Knox
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003119456 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
North Judson Municipal Wwtp, North Judson
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0020877: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 5.4
Knox Fertilizer Co Inc, Knox
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $12,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025404462 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Reagent Chemical & Research Llc, Knox
Major air pollution source. Penalties $45,250.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043977943 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Knox Fertilizer Co Inc, Knox
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, Thiophanate-methyl, Myclobutanil, Carbaryl and 4 more. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 46534KNXFR266EA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Olin Winchester Llc, Knox
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 4653WRGNTC317KL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Reagent Chemical & Research Inc, Knox
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110058732297 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
North Judson Municipal Wwtp, North Judson
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0020877:001 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
North Judson Municipal Wwtp, North Judson
Combined sewer overflow outfall. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0020877:004 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Knox Municipal Wwtp, Knox
Combined sewer overflow outfall. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0021385:001 (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 4
Manitex Sabre Inc, Knox
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese. 11 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4653WSBRMN542ES (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3.8
Trunkline Gas Co - North Judson, Knox
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000792820 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Former Stelrama Corporation, Knox
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071983910 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Koontz Lake Regional Sewer District, Walkerton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042385950 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Trunkline Gas Co - North Judson, Knox
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000792820 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Hamlet Municipal Wwtp, Hamlet
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011949776 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Knox Fertilizer Co Inc, Knox
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $12,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025404462 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
White Flyer Targets, Knox
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110029239599 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Bass Lake Conservancy District, Knox
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0058289: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.5
Koontz Lake Regional Sewer District, Koontz Lake
Industrial wastewater discharge. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0063606: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.3
North Judson Municipal Wwtp, North Judson
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009975456 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Hamlet Municipal Wwtp, Hamlet
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit IN0040100: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.2
Bass Lake Conservancy District, Knox
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011248248 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Manitex Sabre Inc, Knox
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $1,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039493679 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2

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 Starke 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 Starke 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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