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Cooper County, Missouri: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Cooper County is 170.8 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 1.5 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 188 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (61), Rail grade crossing (36), Air permit holder (minor source) (31). 2 correctional facilities operate in the county. 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: 38.8711, -92.7893.

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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 Cooper County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	34.5	17.9	1.93xSignificant	23.7 to 48.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	45.1	30.2	1.49xSignificant	33.4 to 59.9	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	76.8	51.8	1.48xSignificant	61.6 to 95	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	18.2	13	1.4x	10.1 to 30.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	25.4	18.5	1.37x	17 to 36.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	29.8	23.8	1.25x	19.5 to 43.6	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	170.8	143.2	1.19xSignificant	147.4 to 197.2	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	525.2	453.4	1.16xSignificant	482 to 571.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.5	11.3	1.11x	7.2 to 20.8	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	13.3	13.9	0.96x	7.7 to 22.2	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	14.1	18.7	0.75x	8.1 to 23.2	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 Cooper County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,518.8	9,842.6	-24%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77.3	75.3	+3%	years
Child mortality	n/a	59.8	n/a	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	61.4	96.9	-37%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	n/a	28.6	n/a	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.

Formaldehyde19.24 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.94 per million
Acetaldehyde1.85 per million
Benzene0.86 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit61
Rail grade crossing36
Air permit holder (minor source)31
Industrial wastewater discharge21
Gas station (mapped facility)17
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)8
Correctional facility (prison or jail)2
Small hazardous waste generator2
TRI reporting facility2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Brownfield property1
Hazardous waste transporter1

Highest-severity records

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

Caterpillar Inc. - High Performance Molded Products, Boonville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, Lead compounds, Zinc compounds. 15,142 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 65233CTRPL2416M (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Huebert Fiberboard Inc, Boonville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds. Reports carcinogens. 100 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 6523WHBRTF1545M (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Caterpillar Inc., Boonville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018010409 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Huebert Brothers Products Llc, Boonville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006178279 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.9
Otterville Wwtf, Otterville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009695918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Zeller Marine, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009872003 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Blackwater, Blackwater
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039802808 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Pilot Grove Pws-Well # 2 -School St, Pilot Grove
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006666982 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Boonville Wwtp, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110014066410 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Fischer Concrete Services, Llc Boonville, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056406875 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Timberlake Estates Wwtp, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017757177 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Village Of Windsor Place Wwtf, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070047772 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Kemper Military School (Former), Boonville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038765556 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Boonville Auto Repair, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006668855 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Bunceton Pws, Bunceton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009876759 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Bunceton Wwtf, Bunceton
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit MO0055981: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.9
Boonville Wwtp, Boonville
Industrial wastewater discharge. No Violation Identified.
NPDES permit MO0040738: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.8
Prairieland Fs Inc., Pilot Grove
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $2,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000707245 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Pilot Grove East Wwtf, Pilot Grove
Industrial wastewater discharge. Significant/Category I Noncompliance.
NPDES permit MO0093076: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.4
Otterville Wwtf, Otterville
Industrial wastewater discharge. Violation Identified.
NPDES permit MO0101125: (U.S. EPA NPDES)
Severity 2.4
Jesse Viertel Memorial Airport, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038334399 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Prairieland Fs Inc., Pilot Grove
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $2,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000707245 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Gier Oil Company Boonville, Boonville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038375852 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Jesse Viertel Meml, Boonville
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID VER (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/1184668290 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2

Correctional facilities

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

Boonville Correctional Center, Boonville
EPA FRS registry ID
110007643568
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Office Of Administration Fmdc-Boonville Correctional Center, Boonville
EPA FRS registry ID
110027227819
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Cooper County

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