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Benton County, Mississippi: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Benton County is 197.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. Federal databases place 51 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (26), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (14), Public airport (2). 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: 34.7885, -89.1937.

How this county ranks in Mississippi

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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 Benton County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	46.8	30.2	1.55x	29.1 to 72	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	72	51.8	1.39x	50 to 101.2	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	197.6	143.2	1.38xSignificant	159.1 to 243.3	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	451.3	453.4	1x	393.3 to 516.2	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 Benton County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	15,037.1	9,842.6	+53%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	70.7	75.3	-6%	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	149.7	96.9	+54%	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.

Formaldehyde24.01 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.92 per million
Acetaldehyde2.43 per million
Benzene0.65 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing26
NPDES wastewater discharge permit14
Public airport2
Gas station (mapped facility)2
Major air pollution source1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Industrial wastewater discharge1
Gas power plant1
TRI reporting facility1
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)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.

U.S. Tva Magnolia Combined Cycle Plant, Ashland
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 645,000 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38603STVBN352HW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Tva Magnolia Combined Cycle, Ashland
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009113486 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Tva Magnolia Combined Cycle, Ashland
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009113486 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Magnolia Power Plant, Ashland
Gas power plant.
Record ID 55451 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 3.9
Tva Magnolia Combined Cycle, Ashland
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009113486 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Hickory Flat Potw, Hickory Flat
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,875.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006805369 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Tva Magnolia Combined Cycle, Ashland
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009113486 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
J And J Cars Llc, Lamar
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $15,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071081075 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Halley Construction Llc Brookhaven Development, Lamar
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $13,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071995471 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Tci Automotive Llc, Ashland
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002226350 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Mdot, Benton, 105189 302000, Michigan City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070052892 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Martys Salvage And Towing, Hickory Flat
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070203197 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Ilm Inc, Simpson Mine, Ashland
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070251225 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Mdot, Benton, 103328 301000, Hickory Flat
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070560979 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Ray Clifton, Clifton Hickory Flat Mine, Hickory Flat
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070669657 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Dempsey Construction Company Llc, Hwy 72 Mine, Lamar
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071155198 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Mdot, Benton 108776 301000, Holly Springs
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071364451 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Xcavators, Inc, Mason Highway 7 Pit, Michigan City
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071435484 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Ibrahams Real Estate Holdings, Llc, Highway 72 Truck Stop, Ashland
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071541577 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Private, Hickory Flat
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 667258L (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.3
Private, Hickory Flat
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 667259T (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.3
Brent Road, Potts Camp
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 667260M (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.3
Private, Hickory Flat
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 667261U (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.3
Private, Hickory Flat
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 667262B (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.3
Private, Hickory Flat
Rail grade crossing.
Record ID 667263H (Federal Railroad Administration)
Severity 1.3

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 Benton County

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