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St. Joseph County, Michigan: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in St. Joseph County is 161.8 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 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 431 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Brownfield property (120), Rail grade crossing (116), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (40). 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: 41.9115, -85.5264.

How this county ranks in Michigan

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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 St. Joseph County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Bladder	Deaths	6.3	4.1	1.54x	4.1 to 9.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41.6	30.2	1.38xSignificant	35.6 to 48.4	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	6	4.4	1.36x	3.7 to 9.3	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	5	3.7	1.35x	3.1 to 7.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	65.5	51.8	1.26xSignificant	57.9 to 73.9	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	22.3	18.7	1.19x	18 to 27.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.6	4.8	1.17x	3.5 to 8.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.3	4.6	1.15x	3.2 to 8.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.8	11.3	1.13x	9.5 to 16.8	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	161.8	143.2	1.13xSignificant	149.5 to 174.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	14.5	13.9	1.04x	11 to 19	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	14.8	14.5	1.02x	11 to 19.4	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.6	6.6	1x	4.3 to 9.9	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.6	5.7	0.98x	3.4 to 8.8	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	413.5	453.4	0.91x	393.2 to 434.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	21	23.8	0.88x	16.5 to 26.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15.2	18.5	0.82x	11.4 to 20	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.1	8.7	0.82x	4.7 to 10.5	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	5	6.6	0.76x	3 to 8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	13.3	17.9	0.74x	9.9 to 17.6	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	4.4	6.2	0.71x	2.5 to 7.2	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	7.3	13	0.56x	4.5 to 11	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 St. Joseph County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,115.5	9,842.6	+3%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	74.9	75.3	-0%	years
Child mortality	67	59.8	+12%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.7	6.2	+7%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	102.5	96.9	+6%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	19.2	28.6	-33%	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.

Formaldehyde15.16 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde1.45 per million
Benzene0.97 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Brownfield property120
Rail grade crossing116
NPDES wastewater discharge permit40
Gas station (mapped facility)32
Industrial wastewater discharge31
Air permit holder (minor source)26
Small hazardous waste generator16
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)12
TRI reporting facility9
Major air pollution source8
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)4
Large greenhouse gas emitter3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Hydroelectric plant3
Commercial airport2
Heliport2
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Gas power plant1
Superfund (NPL) site1
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.

Sturgis Municipal Wells, Sturgis
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MID980703011 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Abbott Nutrition, Sturgis
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017421226 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Aquatic Co, Three Rivers
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 310,358 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49093PHLPS15935 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Michigan Milk Producers Association, Constantine
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $72,141.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006741222 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Ox Paperboard Wp Mill, Llc, White Pigeon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.1
American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc, Three Rivers
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409521 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Metal Technologies Inc -Three Rivers Gray Iron, Three Rivers
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318841 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Abbott Nutrition, Sturgis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuryl fluoride. 138,862 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49091RSSLB700WL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Ox Paperboard Wp Mill, Llc, White Pigeon
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Metal Technologies Inc -Three Rivers Gray Iron, Three Rivers
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318841 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Consumers Energy - White Pigeon Compressor Station (N5573), White Pigeon
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001847967 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Day International Inc A Flint Group Co, Three Rivers
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene. 16,314 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49093DYNTR111DA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Aquatic Co (B2025), Three Rivers
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010302163 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.2
Morgan Olson Llc, Sturgis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Butyl alcohol, Manganese. 11,355 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49091GRMMN1801S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Sturgis Wwtp, Sturgis
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000733154 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Three Rivers Wwtp, Three Rivers
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000733207 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Ox Paperboard Wp Mill, Llc, White Pigeon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Metal Technologies Inc -Three Rivers Gray Iron, Three Rivers
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318841 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Ox Paperboard Wp Mill, Llc, White Pigeon
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001318832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Michigan Milk Producers Association, Constantine
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $72,141.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006741222 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Armstrong International Inc, Three Rivers
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 13 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49093RMSTR816MA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
Metal Technologies Inc Three Rivers Gray Iron, Three Rivers
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 10 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49093DCKFN4284T (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.3
Abbott Nutrition, Sturgis
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017421226 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Ox Industries - White Pigeon, White Pigeon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 5 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 49099WHTPG15781 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.1
American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc, Three Rivers
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000409521 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5

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 St. Joseph County

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