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Big Horn County, Montana: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Big Horn County is 166.8 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 226 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (110), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (81), Gas station (mapped facility) (9). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 20 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: 45.5223, -107.3997.

How this county ranks in Montana

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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 Big Horn County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	42.4	17.9	2.37xSignificant	27.7 to 62.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	166.8	143.2	1.16x	136.1 to 202.4	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	30.6	30.2	1.01x	18.4 to 47.9	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	402.9	453.4	0.89x	354.9 to 455.6	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	36.7	51.8	0.71x	23.6 to 54.7	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 Big Horn County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	25,708.7	9,842.6	+161%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	64.6	75.3	-14%	years
Child mortality	154.3	59.8	+158%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	15.3	6.2	+147%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	221.3	96.9	+128%	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: 20 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde9.64 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.7 per million
Acetaldehyde0.86 per million
Pahpom0.66 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing110
NPDES wastewater discharge permit81
Gas station (mapped facility)9
Brownfield property8
Public airport3
Major air pollution source2
Air permit holder (minor source)2
TRI reporting facility2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Small hazardous waste generator1
Coal power plant1
Hydroelectric plant1
Solar power plant1

Highest-severity records

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

Hardin Generating Station, Hardin
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Barium And Barium Compounds, Manganese, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 137,229 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 59034HRDNGSUGAR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Hardin Generator Project, Hardin
Coal power plant.
Record ID 55749 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.1
Hardin Generator Project, Hardin
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038363623 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Decker Coal Co, Decker
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead, Mercury, Ethylene glycol. Reports carcinogens. 3 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 59025DCKRC12LAK (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Decker Coal Co, Decker
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000734126 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Briscoe Petroleum - Snyder Project, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110062664059 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Montana Fwp - Central Mt Multi County Piscicide Permit, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064628808 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Lodge Grass, Town Of Wwtf, Lodge Grass
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010121233 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Westmoreland Absaloka Mining Llc, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110062656282 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
City Of Hardin, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020257586 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Crow Agency Lagoon, Crow Agency
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042381384 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Absaloka Mine, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011047143 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Hardin Wwt Facility, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $1,320.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039892541 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Decker Coal Co, Decker
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000734126 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Company, Hardin
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010345714 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Hardin Generator Project, Hardin
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038363623 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Warren Transport - Hardin, Hardin
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071358227 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Plenty Coups High School, Pryor
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010692330 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Third Street Building, Sullivan Building, Hardin
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038702641 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Stevenson Property, Lodge Grass
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038702650 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Big Horn Carpet Mill, Hardin
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039532226 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Crow Tribal Building, Crow Agency
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070681310 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Lodge Grass Teacher Unit, Lodge Grass
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071972316 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Busby Ccc Camp, Busby
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071975995 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Lodge Grass Lumber Mill, Lodge Grass
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071986626 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 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 Big Horn County

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