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Covington County, Mississippi: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Covington County is 193.3 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 154 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (70), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (52), Air permit holder (minor source) (12). 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: 31.6151, -89.5779.

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 Covington County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	New cases	75.1	51.8	1.45xSignificant	60.6 to 92.5	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41.9	30.2	1.39xSignificant	31.1 to 55.5	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	193.3	143.2	1.35xSignificant	168.3 to 221.2	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	589.3	453.4	1.3xSignificant	544.7 to 636.8	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	22.3	17.9	1.25x	14.4 to 33.2	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	21.5	18.7	1.15x	14 to 32.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.7	14.5	1.08x	9.1 to 25.5	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25.6	23.8	1.08x	16.8 to 37.7	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	14.9	13.9	1.07x	8.5 to 24.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.7	18.5	1.06x	12.5 to 30	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 Covington County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	15,926.7	9,842.6	+62%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	68.9	75.3	-8%	years
Child mortality	91.4	59.8	+53%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	11.9	6.2	+92%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	139.6	96.9	+44%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	23.7	28.6	-17%	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.

Formaldehyde23.91 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.9 per million
Acetaldehyde2.38 per million
Benzene0.67 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing70
NPDES wastewater discharge permit52
Air permit holder (minor source)12
Major air pollution source5
Gas station (mapped facility)5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
TRI reporting facility3
Small hazardous waste generator2
Public airport1

Highest-severity records

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

Sanderson Farms Llc, Collins
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Hydrogen sulfide, Peracetic acid. 5,589,164 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 39428SNDRSOLDHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Sanderson Farms, Inc., Collins
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057788416 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
Apac-Mississippi Inc Mt. Olive Asphalt Plant, Mount Olive
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 118 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3911WWBLNS98PEA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Rutland Lumber Co, Collins
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 3942WRTLND1731S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Rutland Lumber Company Inc, Collins
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001472576 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Sanderson Farms, Collins
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007647430 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Kinder Morgan Collins Terminal, Collins
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003996365 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Transmontaigne Operating Company Lp, Collins Piedmont Terminal 1 / 2, Collins
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006066602 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company L, Seminary
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007646208 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Colonial Pipeline Company, Collins Complex, Collins
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064134066 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Plantation Pipe Line Company, Collins Terminal, Collins
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007650381 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Kinder Morgan Collins Terminal, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003996365 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Transmontaigne Operating Company Lp, Collins Piedmont Terminal 1 / 2, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006066602 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Plantation Pipe Line Company, Collins Terminal, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007650381 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Mount Olive Potw, Mount Olive
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515829 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Sanderson Farms Llc, Collins
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Selenium compounds, Copper compounds, Manganese compounds, Zinc compounds.
TRI facility ID 39428SNDRS3976H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Collins Potw, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008514937 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Seminary Potw, Seminary
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008516187 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Sanderson Farms, Inc., Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110057788416 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Wsp Usa Inc, Jr Food Mart Number 72, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069490161 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Kinder Morgan Collins Terminal, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045404424 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Kinder Morgan Collins Terminal, Collins
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110003996365 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Chevron Collins Terminal, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007645842 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Sanderson Farms, Inc., Collins
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110057788416 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
T And M Terminal Company, Collins
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000745604 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5

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 Covington 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 Covington 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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