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Blue Earth County, Minnesota: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Blue Earth County is 143.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 422 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (92), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (68), Air permit holder (minor source) (49). 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: 44.0556, -94.0687.

How this county ranks in Minnesota

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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 Blue Earth County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	40.1	23.8	1.68xSignificant	33.7 to 47.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	7.4	4.8	1.54xSignificant	5 to 10.8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.8	3.4	1.41x	2.9 to 7.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	6.4	4.6	1.39x	4 to 9.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.7	17.9	1.32xSignificant	18.7 to 29.7	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	7.1	5.7	1.25x	4.6 to 10.4	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	21.9	18.7	1.17x	17.3 to 27.4	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	4.3	3.7	1.16x	2.5 to 7	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	20.6	18.5	1.11x	16.1 to 26.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	54.5	51.8	1.05x	47.2 to 62.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.5	6.2	1.05x	3.9 to 10.1	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	474.3	453.4	1.05x	451.6 to 497.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	30.3	30.2	1x	25.1 to 36.5	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	143.2	143.2	1x	131.3 to 155.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.1	11.3	0.98x	8 to 15.1	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	12	13.9	0.86x	8.7 to 16.2	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	12.5	14.5	0.86x	9.1 to 16.8	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	4.8	6.6	0.73x	2.8 to 7.8	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	9.4	13	0.72x	6.3 to 13.5	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	5.1	8.7	0.59x	3 to 8.1	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 Blue Earth County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	5,842.6	9,842.6	-41%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	79.7	75.3	+6%	years
Child mortality	37.5	59.8	-37%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	4.6	6.2	-26%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	66	96.9	-32%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	16.9	28.6	-41%	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.

Formaldehyde14.21 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Benzene1.26 per million
Acetaldehyde1.24 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 357 days: 233 good, 14 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 42, peak 180.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing92
NPDES wastewater discharge permit68
Air permit holder (minor source)49
Industrial wastewater discharge44
Gas station (mapped facility)31
Small hazardous waste generator25
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)21
Brownfield property17
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)15
TRI reporting facility14
Solar power plant10
Major air pollution source6
Hazardous waste transporter6
Large greenhouse gas emitter5
Public airport3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Heliport2
Oil-fired power plant2
EPA air quality monitor1
Commercial airport1
Biomass power plant1
Coal power plant1
Hydroelectric plant1
Gas power plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1
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.

Lehillier/Mankato Site, Lehillier
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MND980792469 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Poet Biorefining Lake Crystal, Lake Crystal
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acetaldehyde, n-Hexane, Formic acid, Acrolein and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 35,505 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56055NRTHS19249 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Chs Mankato, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Formic acid. 3,060,334 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56001HNYMD2060S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Adm, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Barium And Barium Compounds, Lead compounds and 3 more. 2,947,358 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56001RCHRD3RDHA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Northstar Ethanol, Llc Dba Poet Biorefining, Lake Crystal
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018853409 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
Industrial Fabrication Services Inc., Lake Crystal
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Nickel, Lead, Chromium and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 8,287 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5605WNDSTR46CMM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Rosa Parks Elementary, Mankato
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 270135510 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 7.5
Crown Cork & Seal Co Inc, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Cyclohexane. 511,538 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56001CRWNC174CH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.4
Mankato Energy Center, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 320,809 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56001MNKTN1FAZI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Archer Daniels Midland Company, Mankato
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110013325507 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.2
Tbei - Truck Bodies & Equipment International (Lake Crystal), Lake Crystal
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,455 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5605WTBLKC52182 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Chs Oilseed Processing, Mankato
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015870912 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.7
Ccm - Mankato North, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Lead. Reports carcinogens. 442 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5600WWLLSM161SU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Crown Cork And Seal Usa Inc - Mankato, Mankato
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000426673 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Mankato Energy Center, Mankato
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025213061 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Archer Daniels Midland Mankato, Mankato
Coal power plant.
Record ID 10863 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6
Industrial Fabrication Services Inc, Lake Crystal
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008781504 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Mps Mankato Llc, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Lead, Copper, Diisocyanates. Reports carcinogens. 15 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56001THDTS200WR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.4
Northstar Ethanol, Llc Dba Poet Biorefining, Lake Crystal
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018853409 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $2,100.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000426726 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Tbei Inc, Lake Crystal
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003765462 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.1
Nortech Systems-Mankato, Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 4 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 56001WNLND1950E (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Ccm-Mankato, Mankato
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064351829 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Northstar Ethanol, Llc Dba Poet Biorefining, Lake Crystal
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018853409 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc., Mankato
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene, Ethylene glycol. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 5600WMTNST1PWER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.6

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 Blue Earth County

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