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Ascension Parish, Louisiana: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Ascension Parish is 143.7 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 2,244 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Industrial wastewater discharge (1,006), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (811), Rail grade crossing (81). One correctional facility operates in the county. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 50 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: 30.2044, -90.8924.

How this county ranks in Louisiana

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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 Ascension Parish compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	New cases	12.1	8.7	1.39xSignificant	9.5 to 15.2	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	17.2	13	1.32xSignificant	14.1 to 20.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.3	17.9	1.3xSignificant	19.7 to 27.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.4	6.6	1.27x	6.3 to 11	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.5	2	1.25x	1.4 to 4	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	6	4.8	1.25x	4.1 to 8.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4.2	3.7	1.14x	2.8 to 6.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	57.9	51.8	1.12xSignificant	52 to 64.2	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	494.5	453.4	1.09xSignificant	477.3 to 512.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.9	18.5	1.08x	16.5 to 23.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	32	30.2	1.06x	27.7 to 36.7	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.5	3.4	1.03x	2.2 to 5.4	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	14.7	14.5	1.01x	11.7 to 18.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	18.9	18.7	1.01x	15.6 to 22.8	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	11.4	11.3	1.01x	9 to 14.4	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	143.7	143.2	1x	134.3 to 153.5	2020-2024
Bladder	Deaths	4.1	4.1	1x	2.6 to 6.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	13.9	13.9	1x	11.1 to 17.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	23.7	23.8	1x	20.1 to 27.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.2	4.4	0.95x	2.8 to 6.2	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.2	4.6	0.91x	2.8 to 6.2	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.5	6.2	0.89x	3.8 to 7.7	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	14.2	16.4	0.87x	8.7 to 21.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	4.7	5.7	0.82x	3.1 to 6.9	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	4.6	6.6	0.7x	3.1 to 6.6	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 Ascension Parish
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,275.7	9,842.6	-6%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.3	75.3	+1%	years
Child mortality	61.7	59.8	+3%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.7	6.2	-9%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	96.4	96.9	-1%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	51.4	28.6	+80%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 50 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde25.63 per million
Ethylene Oxide18.73 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.02 per million
Acetaldehyde2.26 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 364 days: 348 good, 1 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 33, peak 108.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,244 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Industrial wastewater discharge1,006
NPDES wastewater discharge permit811
Rail grade crossing81
Air permit holder (minor source)61
Small hazardous waste generator58
Gas station (mapped facility)39
Large hazardous waste generator32
Major air pollution source29
Hazardous waste transporter29
TRI reporting facility25
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)23
Large greenhouse gas emitter20
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)10
Heliport4
Landfill (mapped facility)4
Public airport3
Gas power plant3
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)2
EPA air quality monitor1
Commercial airport1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Wastewater plant (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.

Lion Copolymer Geismar Llc - Geismar Facility, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $30,602.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000449765 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Occidental Chemical Corporation - Geismar Facility, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $500,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000449774 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Rubicon Llc - Geismar Facility, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $42,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000597373 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Pcs Nitrogen Fertilizer Lp - Geismar Agricultural Nitrogen & Phosphate Plant, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $1,670,023.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000748059 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Basf Corp - Geismar Site, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $35,460.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070834884 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Cf Industries Nitrogen Llc, Donaldsonville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nitric acid, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 49,124,975 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70346CFNDSHWY30 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Rubicon Llc, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Aniline, Sodium nitrite, Ammonia, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 34,683,252 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734RBCNN9156H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 10
Basf Corp, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Sodium nitrite, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 7,657,675 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734BSFCRRIVER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.8
Methanex Usa Services Llc, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, Nickel compounds, Copper compounds and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 5,596,072 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7073WMTHNX4171H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.7
Innophos Inc - Innophos Geismar Plant, Geismar
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000743385 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.4
Honeywell International Inc - Geismar Complex, Geismar
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110033659878 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.2
Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc - Formaldehyde Plant, Geismar
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002056024 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.2
Shell Chemical Lp, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ethylene glycol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,231,883 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70737SHLLCRIVER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Occidental Chemical Holding Corp - Geismar Plant, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Carbon tetrachloride, Ethylene glycol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 899,782 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734VLCNMASHLA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.1
Westlake Vinyls Co, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1,2-Dichloroethane, Vinyl chloride, Chloroform, Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 710,820 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734BRDNCLOUIS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Hexion Inc, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Formaldehyde, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Molybdenum trioxide and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 286,854 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734BRDNC9288H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Linde Geismar Facility, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ammonia, Formaldehyde, Zinc compounds and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 261,711 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734LQDCRPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Nova Chemicals Olefins Llc - Geismar Ethylene Plant, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000746337 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.6
Univar Solutions Geismar Ge, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Ammonia, Certain glycol ethers, Perfluorooctanoic acid and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 2,303 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734VNWTR34200 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Cf Industries - Donaldsonville Nitrogen Complex, Donaldsonville
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $5,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110014466372 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.3
Lion Copolymer Geismar Llc, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Propylene, Dicyclopentadiene, Ethylene and 1 more. 5,028,677 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 70734NRYLCPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Riverside Fractionation Plant, Geismar
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Propylene, Benzene, Toluene and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 36,753 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 7073WRVRSD128HW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Geismar Fractionation Plant, Geismar
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $76,525.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043735152 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
Occidental Chemical Corporation - Geismar Facility, Geismar
Major air pollution source. Penalties $500,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000449774 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Pcs Nitrogen Fertilizer Lp - Geismar Agricultural Nitrogen & Phosphate Plant, Geismar
Major air pollution source. Penalties $1,670,023.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000748059 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

Ascension Parish Jail, Donaldsonville
EPA FRS registry ID
110003334918
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Ascension Parish

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