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St. Louis County, Minnesota: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in St. Louis County is 152.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.1 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 1,241 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (346), Industrial wastewater discharge (206), Gas station (mapped facility) (118). 6 correctional facilities operate in the county, at least one with health-based drinking water violations on record. 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: 47.6408, -92.4289.

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 St. Louis 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	36.7	23.8	1.54xSignificant	33.1 to 40.5	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	24.5	18.7	1.31xSignificant	22 to 27.3	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	6	4.6	1.3xSignificant	4.8 to 7.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	6.1	4.8	1.27xSignificant	4.9 to 7.5	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	18.2	14.5	1.26xSignificant	15.9 to 20.8	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	15.9	13	1.22xSignificant	13.4 to 18.6	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	21.2	17.9	1.18xSignificant	18.7 to 24.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.7	5.7	1.18x	5.4 to 8.2	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	21.4	18.5	1.16xSignificant	18.9 to 24.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	58	51.8	1.12xSignificant	54.2 to 62.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	33.7	30.2	1.12xSignificant	30.8 to 36.8	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	18.2	16.4	1.11x	12.1 to 26.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	15.4	13.9	1.11x	13.3 to 17.7	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	498.8	453.4	1.1xSignificant	486.5 to 511.3	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	4	3.7	1.08x	3 to 5.3	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	152.2	143.2	1.06xSignificant	145.8 to 158.8	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	11.9	11.3	1.05x	10.2 to 13.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.5	3.4	1.03x	2.6 to 4.7	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.4	4.4	1x	3.3 to 5.9	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.2	6.6	0.94x	5 to 7.7	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.6	6.2	0.9x	4.2 to 7.2	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	5.8	6.6	0.88x	4.5 to 7.3	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.6	4.1	0.88x	2.7 to 4.8	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.3	8.7	0.84x	6 to 8.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.6	2	0.8x	1 to 2.5	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	1.9	2.7	0.7x	1.2 to 2.8	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 St. Louis County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,681.3	9,842.6	-12%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.8	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	45.8	59.8	-23%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.6	6.2	-10%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	100.4	96.9	+4%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	32.5	28.6	+14%	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.

Formaldehyde10.72 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.98 per million
Benzene1.35 per million
Acetaldehyde0.95 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

1,241 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

Rail grade crossing346
Industrial wastewater discharge206
Gas station (mapped facility)118
NPDES wastewater discharge permit113
Brownfield property96
Air permit holder (minor source)91
Small hazardous waste generator67
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)42
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)22
Major air pollution source21
TRI reporting facility17
Hazardous waste transporter13
Airfield12
Large greenhouse gas emitter10
Heliport9
Large hazardous waste generator8
EPA air quality monitor7
Commercial airport7
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)7
Correctional facility (prison or jail)6
Scrapyard (mapped facility)6
Public airport3
Landfill (mapped facility)3
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)2
Gas power plant2
Crematorium (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
Coal power plant1
Hydroelectric plant1
Other power plant1
Wind power plant1
Superfund (NPL) site1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

St. Louis River Site, St. Louis County
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 32.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID MND039045430 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Cirrus Design Corp/Cirrus Aircraft, Duluth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Styrene, Methanol, Ethylene glycol. Reports carcinogens. 311,270 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5581WCRRSD495MI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Hibbard Renewable Energy Center, Duluth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Zinc compounds, Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Lead compounds and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 227,879 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5580WHBBRD53MAI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Hibbing Renewable Energy Center, Hibbing
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Lead And Lead Compounds, Lead compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 73,211 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 55749HBBNG1832S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Virginia Department Of Public Utilities, Virginia
Major air pollution source. Penalties $13,450.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001442341 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Mn Twist Drill Aquisition Llc, Chisholm
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Trichloroethylene, Chromium, 1,2-Dichloroethylene, Barium. Reports carcinogens. 4,829 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 55719MNNST611WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Virginia Department Of Public Utilities, Virginia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $13,450.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001442341 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Me Global Inc, Duluth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Manganese compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Barium And Barium Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 900 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 55808MNTRN200EA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Federal Prison Camp, Duluth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 543 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5581WFDRLP4464R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Us Steel Corp - Keetac, Keewatin
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008797864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Laura MacArthur School, Duluth
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 271377554 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 6.5
Cirrus Design Corp Aka Cirrus Aircraft, Duluth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067123810 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Hibbard Renewable Energy Center, Duluth
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071283864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Virginia City Hall, Virginia
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 271377001 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 6.1
U of M - Duluth, Duluth
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 271377550 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 6
Hibbing, Hibbing
Coal power plant.
Record ID 1979 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6
Cast7 Llc, Hibbing
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Chromium, Manganese, Aluminum oxide (fibrous forms). Reports carcinogens. 90 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5574WCSTCR11364 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Us Steel Corp - Keetac, Keewatin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008797864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Dyno Nobel, Biwabik
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $6,588.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003762651 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Hibbing Public Utilities Commission, Hibbing
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $26,960.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001442332 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Duluth Paper Mill, Duluth
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Lead And Lead Compounds, Potassium dimethyldithiocarbamate. 4,072 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 55807LKSPR100NO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Northern Foundry, Hibbing
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 23 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 55746NRTHR555WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Us Steel Corp - Keetac, Keewatin
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008797864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Northshore Mining Co - Peter Mitchell, Babbitt
Major air pollution source. Penalties $7,475.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008800048 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Virginia Public Utilities, Virginia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead compounds, Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. Reports carcinogens. 12 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5579WVRGNP6182N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.3

Correctional facilities

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

Northeast Regional Correction Center
EPA FRS registry ID
110052249811
Water system
MN5690306
Health-based violations
3 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
4
Contaminants cited
Benzene, Coliform (TCR)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Duluth Federal Prison Camp, Duluth
EPA FRS registry ID
110003742442
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Northeast Regional Correction Center-Well #2 Water Softener (Split X3), Saginaw
EPA FRS registry ID
110006420596
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Saint Louis County Jail, Duluth
EPA FRS registry ID
110032967911
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Federal Prison Camp, Duluth
EPA FRS registry ID
110045998694
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Former Saint Louis County Jail, Duluth
EPA FRS registry ID
110069015078
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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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