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Bourbon County, Kentucky: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Bourbon County is 169.7 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 2.3 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 153 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (52), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (37), Rail grade crossing (27). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 30 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: 38.2196, -84.224.

How this county ranks in Kentucky

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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 Bourbon County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	15	6.6	2.27xSignificant	9.5 to 23	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	41.8	23.8	1.76xSignificant	30.2 to 56.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	14.2	8.7	1.63xSignificant	8.9 to 22.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	82	51.8	1.58xSignificant	68 to 98.4	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	21	13.9	1.51xSignificant	14.2 to 30.4	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	19.5	13	1.5x	11.6 to 30.7	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	25.8	17.9	1.44x	17.5 to 36.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	42.3	30.2	1.4xSignificant	32.5 to 54.6	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	15.3	11.3	1.35x	9.7 to 23.3	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	565.6	453.4	1.25xSignificant	525 to 608.8	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	169.7	143.2	1.19xSignificant	149.2 to 192.7	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	21.8	18.7	1.17x	14.9 to 31.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21	18.5	1.14x	13.9 to 30.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	16.3	14.5	1.12x	10.3 to 25	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 Bourbon County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	11,509.1	9,842.6	+17%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	73.8	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	113.8	96.9	+17%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	61.4	28.6	+115%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 30 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde17.8 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.92 per million
Acetaldehyde1.92 per million
Benzene1.05 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge52
NPDES wastewater discharge permit37
Rail grade crossing27
Brownfield property7
Gas station (mapped facility)6
Air permit holder (minor source)4
TRI reporting facility4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Public airport3
Large hazardous waste generator2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Heliport2
Major air pollution source1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Oil-fired power 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.

Central Motor Wheel Of America (Dba Cmwa), Paris
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Butyl alcohol, Aluminum (fume or dust) and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 37,454 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 40361CNTRL125WH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Avantor Performance Materials Inc., Paris
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $61,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056954112 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Avantor Performance Materials, Paris
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Toluene, Dichloromethane, Ethylene glycol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 18,606 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 40361MLLNCHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Kentucky Smelting Technology, Paris
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 178 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 40361KNTCK14BEL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Central Motor Wheel Of America Inc, Paris
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013859681 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Avantor Performance Materials Inc., Paris
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $61,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056954112 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Kentucky Smelting Technology Inc, Paris
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025183147 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.9
Turfland Motor Home Park, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $11,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006810139 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Paris (Ky), Paris
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 1376 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Itw Ramset Red Head, Paris
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006647076 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Avantor Performance Materials Inc., Paris
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $61,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056954112 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Paris Wastewater Treatment Plant, Paris
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000551082 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Bourbon Oil Paris Bulk Plant, Paris
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000793534 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Bourbon Co State Maintenance Garage, Paris
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006682438 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Bourbon Limestone Co Inc, Paris
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006682811 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Central Motor Wheel Of America Inc, Paris
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013859681 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Avantor Performance Materials Inc., Paris
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $61,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056954112 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Central Motor Wheel Of America Inc, Paris
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013859681 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Central Motor Wheel Of America Inc, Paris
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013859681 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Former Bourbon Tb Hospital, Paris
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038750296 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
City Of Paris Transfer Station, Paris
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071972748 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Former Paris Landfill, Paris
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071980574 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
407 Main Street Millersburg, Millersburg
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071986645 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
417 Main Street Millersburg, Millersburg
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071986648 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
419 Main Street Millersburg, Millersburg
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071986649 (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.

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Bourbon County

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