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Graves County, Kentucky: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Graves County is 190.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Leukemia deaths at 1.9 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.7 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 269 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (97), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (89), Rail grade crossing (42). 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: 36.7219, -88.6521.

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 Graves County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Leukemia	Deaths	10.6	5.7	1.86xSignificant	6.8 to 15.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	51.9	30.2	1.72xSignificant	43.4 to 61.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	82.3	51.8	1.59xSignificant	71.6 to 94.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	24.7	17.9	1.38xSignificant	18.4 to 32.6	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	190.6	143.2	1.33xSignificant	173.6 to 209	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	8.2	6.2	1.32x	4.7 to 13.3	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	31.4	23.8	1.32xSignificant	24.4 to 40	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	18.9	14.5	1.3x	13.3 to 26	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7.4	6.6	1.12x	4.4 to 11.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	503.6	453.4	1.11xSignificant	474.7 to 533.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.3	8.7	1.07x	5.8 to 14.3	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	19.7	18.7	1.05x	14.7 to 26	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11.1	11.3	0.98x	7.3 to 16.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	12.7	13	0.98x	8 to 19	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.2	13.9	0.95x	9 to 19	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.3	18.5	0.94x	12.2 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 Graves County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,917	9,842.6	+11%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	73	75.3	-3%	years
Child mortality	65.1	59.8	+9%	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	100.9	96.9	+4%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	12.7	28.6	-55%	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.

Formaldehyde21.72 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde2.18 per million
Benzene0.84 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge97
NPDES wastewater discharge permit89
Rail grade crossing42
Gas station (mapped facility)21
Small hazardous waste generator3
TRI reporting facility3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Major air pollution source2
Air permit holder (minor source)2
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)2
Public airport1
Brownfield property1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)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.

Pilgrims Pride Corp Mayfield Ky Facility, Hickory
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Peracetic acid, Ammonia. 2,022,096 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 42051SBRDFUS45N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Pilgrims Pride Corp - Hickory, Hickory
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000564853 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.6
Symsonia Water & Sewer, Symsonia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009937676 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Wingo Stp, Wingo
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009939013 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Atlas Equipment Services Inc.., Mayfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 42066HVRCN554JI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Air Relief Inc., Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038094111 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Mayfield Stp, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039995137 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Pilgrims Pride Corp, Mayfield
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002076459 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Atlas Equipment Services Inc.., Mayfield
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025332600 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Freedom Waste Services Landfill, Mayfield
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070796894 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Ctna Manufacturing Limited Partnership, Mayfield
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000380169 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Progress Rail Services Corporation, Mayfield
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031419908 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
C B Goodman & Sons Lumber Inc, Hickory
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057189867 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Freedom Waste Services Landfill, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070796894 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Fancy Farm Water District Stp, Fancy Farm
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009051845 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Old Trace Creek Gravel Llc, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110037487993 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Former Remington Arms Property, Hickory
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071978005 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Ctna Manufacturing Limited Partnership, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000380169 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Freedom Waste Services Landfill, Mayfield
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070796894 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
West Kentucky Concrete, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071299256 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Murphy & Sons Lumber Company Logging Site, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071410096 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Mayfield Stp, Mayfield
Industrial wastewater discharge. Significant/Category I Noncompliance.
NPDES permit KY0021211: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 3
West Kentucky Concrete, Mayfield
Industrial wastewater discharge. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit KYG110294: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 3
Pilgrim'S Pride Corp Mayfield Ky. Feed Mill, Mayfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Manganese compounds, Zinc compounds.
TRI facility ID 42066SBRDFMACED (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Graves Co State Maintenance Garage, Mayfield
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045088908 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8

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 Graves 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 Graves 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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