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Sunflower County, Mississippi: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Sunflower County is 217.4 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Liver & bile duct deaths at 2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 130 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (57), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (24), Gas station (mapped facility) (10). 5 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 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: 33.6308, -90.5554.

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 Sunflower County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	13.4	6.6	2.03xSignificant	7.9 to 21.3	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	10.7	6.6	1.62x	6 to 17.8	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	217.4	143.2	1.52xSignificant	193.3 to 243.9	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	39.2	30.2	1.3x	29.5 to 51.2	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.8	11.3	1.13x	7.6 to 20.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	14.7	13.9	1.06x	9.1 to 22.7	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	469.6	453.4	1.04x	434.3 to 507.1	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	17.2	17.9	0.96x	11.1 to 25.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	49.3	51.8	0.95x	38.7 to 62.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.2	18.5	0.88x	10 to 24.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	12.1	14.5	0.83x	6.8 to 20	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	13.8	18.7	0.74x	8.3 to 21.7	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 Sunflower County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	18,895.4	9,842.6	+92%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	67.2	75.3	-11%	years
Child mortality	134.7	59.8	+125%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	12	6.2	+93%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	132	96.9	+36%	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.

Formaldehyde23.52 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.94 per million
Acetaldehyde2.31 per million
Benzene0.72 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing57
NPDES wastewater discharge permit24
Gas station (mapped facility)10
Scrapyard (mapped facility)6
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)5
Correctional facility (prison or jail)5
Air permit holder (minor source)4
Public airport4
TRI reporting facility3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Major air pollution source1
Commercial airport1
Brownfield property1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Heliport1

Highest-severity records

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

Gresham Petroleum Co, Indianola
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Naphthalene, Benzene, n-Hexane, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 13,224 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38751GRSHM412PE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Protein Products Inc., Sunflower
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen sulfide, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution). 5,336 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38778PRTNP1042M (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Indianola Potw, Indianola
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515473 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Ms State Penitentiary-Mn Ln-Treatment Facility Tf101, Parchman
Correctional facility (prison or jail).
EPA FRS registry ID 110012981808 (U.S. EPA ECHO + SDWIS) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Protein Products, Inc., Sunflower
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002327232 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Gresham Petroleum, Indianola
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000375825 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Precision Delta Corp, Ruleville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Copper. 663 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38771PRCSN205FL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.2
Precision Delta Corp, Ruleville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110016795921 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Inverness Potw, Inverness
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002216227 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Doddsville Potw, Doddsville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002466938 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Ruleville Potw, Ruleville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008516123 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Mississippi State Penitentiary Potw, Number 2, Parchman
Correctional facility (prison or jail).
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515767 (U.S. EPA ECHO + SDWIS) Agency record
Severity 4.2
Columbia Gulf Transmission, Inverness Compressor Station, Inverness
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008508800 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Moorhead Potw, Moorhead
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067380480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Mississippi State Penitentiary Potw, Number 2, Parchman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515767 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Allen Canning, Moorhead
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071976310 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Columbia Gulf Transmission, Inverness Compressor Station, Inverness
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008508800 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Mississippi State Penitentiary Potw, Number 1, Parchman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515758 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Drew Potw, Drew
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,875.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011056052 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Protein Products, Inc., Sunflower
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002327232 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Columbia Gulf Transmission, Inverness Compressor Station, Inverness
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008508800 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Mississippi State Penitentiary Potw, Number 1, Parchman
Correctional facility (prison or jail).
EPA FRS registry ID 110008515758 (U.S. EPA ECHO + SDWIS) Agency record
Severity 2.2
Indianola Muni, Indianola
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID IDL (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Ruleville-Drew, Drew
Public airport. O.
Record ID M37 (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Dry Cleaner
Dry cleaner (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/1110916052 (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.

Ms State Penitentiary-Mn Ln-Treatment Facility Tf101, Parchman
EPA FRS registry ID
110012981808
Water system
MS0670014
Health-based violations
18 all time, 8 in 5 years
All violations
318
Contaminants cited
Coliform (TCR), Groundwater Rule, LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS, Revised Total Coliform Rule, TTHM, Total Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Mississippi State Penitentiary Potw, Number 2, Parchman
EPA FRS registry ID
110008515767
Wastewater permit
Yes, significant noncompliance, 7 quarters in noncompliance
EPA detailed facility report
Mississippi State Penitentiary Potw, Number 1, Parchman
EPA FRS registry ID
110008515758
Wastewater permit
Yes, 7 quarters in noncompliance
EPA detailed facility report
Mississippi Prison Industries Corporation, Parchman, Parchman
EPA FRS registry ID
110008507543
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Miss Dept Of Corrections, Parchman, Parchman
EPA FRS registry ID
110042324767
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Sunflower 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 Sunflower 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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