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Holmes County, Mississippi: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Holmes County is 237.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Pancreas deaths at 2.4 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.6 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 123 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (71), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (37), Gas station (mapped facility) (6). 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: 33.1284, -90.0726.

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 Holmes County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Pancreas	Deaths	27.5	11.3	2.43xSignificant	18 to 40.6	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	237.9	143.2	1.66xSignificant	208 to 271.2	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	29.4	17.9	1.64xSignificant	19.1 to 43.2	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	47.8	30.2	1.58xSignificant	35 to 64	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	21.7	13.9	1.56x	13.7 to 33.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	74.3	51.8	1.43xSignificant	58.4 to 93.4	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	546.7	453.4	1.21xSignificant	500.3 to 596.4	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	16.2	18.7	0.87x	9.1 to 26.9	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 Holmes County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	22,286.3	9,842.6	+126%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	65.7	75.3	-13%	years
Child mortality	191.7	59.8	+221%	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	151.2	96.9	+56%	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.

Formaldehyde23.93 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.92 per million
Acetaldehyde2.3 per million
Pahpom0.62 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing71
NPDES wastewater discharge permit37
Gas station (mapped facility)6
Air permit holder (minor source)5
Public airport3
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.

Tchula Potw, Tchula
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008516374 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Goodman Potw, Goodman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,875.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009163092 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, Central Hills Baptist Retreat, West
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006805305 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Holmes Co School District, Milestone Elementary, Tchula
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009862871 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
West Potw, West
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039783598 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Mdot, Interstate 55 North, Rest Area, Holmes, West
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008518354 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Salvation Army, The, Camp Hidden Lake, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012665927 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Cruger Potw, Cruger
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008514991 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Holmes County State Park, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008516999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Pickens Potw, Pickens
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515972 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Ameripride Services Llc, Durant Plant, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022889285 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Hammett Gravel Company Inc, Hdp Mine, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $46,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070868010 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Trashhunters Inc, City Of Durant Sanitary Landfill, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002207709 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Holmes County School District, Tchula And S V Marshall Attendance Center, Tchula
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008517792 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Hunter Engineering Company, Durant, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040913143 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Durant Potw, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515099 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Goodman Pickens Elementary School, Goodman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008516766 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Hammett Gravel Company Inc, Kuhn Mine Number One, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110044565841 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
C A Moore, Lexington
Public airport. O.
Record ID 19M (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Lexington Concrete And Block Company Inc, Lexington Plant, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002207898 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Lexington Potw, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515552 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Hunter Engineering Company, Durant, Durant
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110040913143 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Charles Donald Pulpwood Inc, Durant, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070066301 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Timber Producers Durant Sawmill Division, Llc, Durant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008504190 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Us Army Coe, Vicksburg District, Floodwater Retarding Structure 35 Project, Lexington
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038351529 (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 Holmes 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 Holmes 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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