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Letcher County, Kentucky: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Letcher County is 211.9 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 1.8 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 868 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (655), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (96), Rail grade crossing (77). 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: 37.1136, -82.893.

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 Letcher County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	53.9	30.2	1.78xSignificant	43.2 to 66.9	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	22.1	13	1.7xSignificant	13.8 to 33.5	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	84.6	51.8	1.63xSignificant	71 to 100.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	17.8	11.3	1.58x	11.2 to 27.2	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	13.2	8.7	1.52x	8.2 to 20.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	211.9	143.2	1.48xSignificant	188.6 to 237.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	19.4	13.9	1.4x	12.4 to 29.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	21.6	17.9	1.21x	14.8 to 30.8	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	533.5	453.4	1.18xSignificant	495 to 574.5	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.4	14.5	1.06x	9.6 to 23.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	23	23.8	0.97x	15.6 to 33.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.8	18.5	0.91x	10.9 to 25.2	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	16.9	18.7	0.9x	11.1 to 25.2	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 Letcher County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	18,646	9,842.6	+89%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	67.7	75.3	-10%	years
Child mortality	50	59.8	-16%	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	144.2	96.9	+49%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	58.4	28.6	+104%	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.

Formaldehyde16.86 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.82 per million
Acetaldehyde1.57 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

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

Industrial wastewater discharge655
NPDES wastewater discharge permit96
Rail grade crossing77
Brownfield property29
Gas station (mapped facility)7
Heliport2
Major air pollution source1
Air permit holder (minor source)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.

Jenkins Wwtp, Jenkins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009938309 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
A & G Coal Corp (867-0455), Eolia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $2,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045194222 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Fleming Neon Stp, Neon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009938915 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Deane Mining Llc (867-5300), Deane
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011201332 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Kingdom Coal Llc [Consolidated], Roxana
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $40,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067585624 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Genesis Group Llc [867-0505], Isom
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055259090 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Kingdom Coal Llc [867-5350], Whitesburg
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $40,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064774061 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Kingdom Coal Llc [Consolidated], Linefork
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $40,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070885128 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Premier Elkhorn Coal Co Inc (867-5172), Dunham
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011199390 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Premier Elkhorn Coal Llc (867-0529), Mcroberts
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011199513 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Letcher Elementary School, Jeremiah
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110027990850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Premier Elkhorn Coal Llc, Jenkins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064511835 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Revelation Energy Llc (Multiple), Eolia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009933689 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Reckoning Reclamation Llc [898-4736], Beefhide
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045088622 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Deane Mining Llc [867-0535], Deane
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064874140 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Deane Mining Llc [Consolidated], Deane
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067181659 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Premier Elkhorn Coal Llc (867-5335), Mcroberts
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009742715 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Reckoning Reclamation Llc [867-0577], Jenkins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011196133 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Kingdom Coal Llc [867-5354], Bellcraft
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015982971 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Arlie Boggs Elementary School, Eolia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110026467179 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Diversified Midstream Llc - Line Fork Compressor Station, Hallie
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040853190 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Deane Mining Llc [867-0475], Deane
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064511764 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Deane Mining Llc (867-0474), Deane
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064774347 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Deane Mining Llc (867-5308), Deane
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064774409 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Smoky Quartz Llc Multiple, Whitesburg
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069607063 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5

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 Letcher 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 Letcher 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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