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Pulaski County, Kentucky: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Pulaski County is 204.4 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 1.8 times the U.S. rate and Bladder deaths at 1.7 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 466 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (172), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (166), Rail grade crossing (48). 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: 37.1114, -84.5965.

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 Pulaski County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	55.8	30.2	1.85xSignificant	49.3 to 63	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	91.7	51.8	1.77xSignificant	83.2 to 100.9	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	7.1	4.1	1.73xSignificant	4.8 to 10.3	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	9	5.7	1.58xSignificant	6.4 to 12.4	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	6.7	4.4	1.52x	4.4 to 10	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	5.1	3.4	1.5x	3.2 to 7.8	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	7.1	4.8	1.48xSignificant	4.9 to 10.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	18.7	13	1.44xSignificant	14.3 to 23.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	204.4	143.2	1.43xSignificant	191.4 to 218.1	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	25.8	18.7	1.38xSignificant	21.3 to 31.1	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	5	3.7	1.35x	3.1 to 7.8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	22.5	17.9	1.26xSignificant	18.1 to 27.6	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	556.4	453.4	1.23xSignificant	534 to 579.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	17.4	14.5	1.2x	13.4 to 22.3	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	5.4	4.6	1.17x	3.4 to 8.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	27.7	23.8	1.16x	22.8 to 33.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	20.8	18.5	1.12x	16.7 to 25.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.5	8.7	1.09x	6.8 to 13	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.2	11.3	1.08x	9.2 to 15.9	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.5	6.2	1.05x	4.2 to 9.7	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.9	13.9	1x	10.7 to 17.9	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.6	6.6	1x	4.4 to 9.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.3	6.6	0.95x	4.2 to 9.2	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 Pulaski County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	12,730.8	9,842.6	+29%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72.1	75.3	-4%	years
Child mortality	62	59.8	+4%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	7.3	6.2	+18%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	110.6	96.9	+14%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	47.8	28.6	+67%	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.

Formaldehyde18.73 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.9 per million
Acetaldehyde2.13 per million
Benzene0.97 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 297 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 40, peak 73.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Industrial wastewater discharge172
NPDES wastewater discharge permit166
Rail grade crossing48
Gas station (mapped facility)27
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)9
TRI reporting facility8
Air permit holder (minor source)7
Brownfield property5
Small hazardous waste generator5
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)4
Major air pollution source3
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)3
Large hazardous waste generator2
EPA air quality monitor1
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Heliport1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Coal 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.

John S Cooper Power Station, Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium And Barium Compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Lead And Lead Compounds, Lead compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 144,316 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 42519CPRPW1247S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Continental Refining Co Llc, Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 3,891 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 42501THSMR501RE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Hinkle Contracting Co Llc - Somerset Asphalt & Somerset Ston, Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Lead compounds, Mercury And Mercury Compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 281 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4250WHNKLC39GAR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Kingsford Manufacturing Co, Burnside
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000381122 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Cooper, Somerset
Coal power plant.
Record ID 1384 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.3
East Ky Power Coop - Cooper Station, Somerset
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041007166 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems, Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 99 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 42503HNDRC565PI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Continental Refining Company, Llc, Somerset
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072196280 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Continental Refining Co Llc, Somerset
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000381113 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Kingsford Manufacturing Co, Burnside
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Lead compounds. 1,962 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 42519KNGSF9500S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Ahf Products, Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 18 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 42501HRTCF630IN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Toyotetsu America Inc, Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Lead, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 5 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4250WTYTTS1PINA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.1
Science Hill Stp, Science Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006749466 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Hinkle Contracting Co Llc - Somerset Asphalt Plant, Somerset
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045487825 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Ugn Inc., Somerset
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates. 352 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4250WGNSMR127HI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems, Somerset
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110031432411 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.9
Kingsford Manufacturing Co, Burnside
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000381122 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
SOMERSET, Somerset
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 211990003 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 4.5
Rainbow Terrace Mobile Village, Somerset
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006654227 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Ahf Products Llc, Somerset
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008057084 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Kingsford Manufacturing Co, Burnside
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000381122 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Burnside, City Of, Burnside
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017859076 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Prairie Farms Dairy - Somerset, Somerset
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000576528 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Green Tee Townhouses, Somerset
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009936089 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Cumberland Lake Shell, Inc., Somerset
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043726661 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4

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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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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