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Smith County, Kansas: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Smith County is 146 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 87 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (34), Air permit holder (minor source) (14), Industrial wastewater discharge (12). 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: 39.7904, -98.7854.

How this county ranks in Kansas

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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 Smith County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
All cancer	New cases	469.8	453.4	1.04x	383.3 to 572.2	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	146	143.2	1.02x	102.7 to 204.6	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 Smith County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	6,336.6	9,842.6	-36%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	79	75.3	+5%	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	95.3	96.9	-2%	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.

Formaldehyde13.74 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.83 per million
Acetaldehyde1.05 per million
Benzene0.5 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing34
Air permit holder (minor source)14
Industrial wastewater discharge12
NPDES wastewater discharge permit12
Brownfield property6
Gas station (mapped facility)5
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Public airport1
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)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.

Arlwin Manufacturing Co Inc, Smith Center
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 12,755 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 66967RLWNMEHWY3 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Us Center Foundation Bta Site #3, Lebanon
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030568268 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Us Center Foundation Bta Site #2, Lebanon
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030568277 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Us Center Foundation Bta Site #1, Lebanon
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038755013 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Planter'S Lounge Bta, Smith Center
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041705571 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Lebanon Community Center Bta, Lebanon
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043691902 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Clark Building, Smith Center
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071983805 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Smith Center, City Of, Smith Center
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055366492 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Shaw-Davis-Shaw Concrete - Smith Center, Smith Center
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070499722 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Smith Center Muni, Smith Center
Public airport. O.
Record ID K82 (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/1072574388 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/1262601686 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Kensington Wastewater Plant, Kensington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011221374 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Triple H Feeders Llc, Lebanon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015979155 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Nck Quarries, Smith Center
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110059701470 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Smith County Commission - Pit 95-188-58, Cedar
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110062657272 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
281-92 Ka-3937-01 Borrow & Waste, Portis
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071728302 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Applequist Manufacturing, Smith Center
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072004181 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
92 C-5360-01 Smith County (Off 40), Smith Center
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072151038 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Ka-6471-01, Reamsville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072188916 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Ka-6823-01, Gaylord
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072246609 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Ka-6822-01, Lebanon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072256282 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Dd Road, Lebanon
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 598941Y (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.2
Cc Road, Lebanon
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 598942F (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.2
Locust Street, Lebanon
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 598943M (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.2

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 Smith County

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