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Bertie County, North Carolina: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Bertie County is 178.2 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 1.3 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 77 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (27), Rail grade crossing (16), Air permit holder (minor source) (8). 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: 36.0291, -76.9835.

How this county ranks in North Carolina

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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 Bertie County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Pancreas	New cases	22.5	13.9	1.62xSignificant	14.7 to 33.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	19.7	14.5	1.36x	11.3 to 31.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	40.7	30.2	1.35xSignificant	30.9 to 53.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	14.6	11.3	1.29x	8.7 to 23.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	22.8	17.9	1.27x	14.4 to 34.6	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	178.2	143.2	1.24xSignificant	156 to 203.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	61.4	51.8	1.19x	48.8 to 77	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	464.1	453.4	1.02x	425.8 to 505.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15.7	18.5	0.85x	9.6 to 25.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	9.8	18.7	0.52x	5.6 to 17.2	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 Bertie County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	14,627.6	9,842.6	+49%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72	75.3	-4%	years
Child mortality	94.7	59.8	+58%	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	103.9	96.9	+7%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	39.3	28.6	+37%	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.

Formaldehyde17.24 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.96 per million
Acetaldehyde1.66 per million
Benzene0.71 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit27
Rail grade crossing16
Air permit holder (minor source)8
Solar power plant5
TRI reporting facility3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Major air pollution source2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Large hazardous waste generator2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Public airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Gas station (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.

Avoca Llc, Merry Hill
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, n-Hexane, Chloroform, Toluene. Reports carcinogens. 1,387,132 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 27957RJRYNSTATE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Perdue Foods Llc - Lewiston Processing Plant, Lewiston Woodville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Hydrogen sulfide, Ammonia, Peracetic acid and 1 more. 11,486,889 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 27849PRDNCHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Avoca, Incorporated, Merry Hill
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $8,498.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042039692 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Greengas, Lewiston Woodville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004027320 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Windsor Wwtp, Windsor
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $2,674.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006367369 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Darling Ingredients Inc., Lewiston Woodville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 2,652 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2784WVLLYP222GR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Valley Proteins, Inc. - Lewiston, Lewiston Woodville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067425888 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Avoca, Incorporated, Merry Hill
Major air pollution source. Penalties $8,498.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042039692 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Avoca, Incorporated, Merry Hill
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $8,498.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042039692 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Avoca, Incorporated, Merry Hill
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $8,498.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042039692 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Lewiston-Woodville Wwtp, Lewiston Woodville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009845659 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
W.E. Partners Ii, Llc - Lewiston Woodville, Lewiston Woodville
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $4,613.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043221484 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Republic Services Of Nc Llc - East Carolina Environmental, Aulander
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070246964 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Republic Services Of Nc Llc - East Carolina Environmental, Aulander
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070246964 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Lightning Renewables, Llc - East Carolina, Aulander
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072044842 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Greengas, Lewiston Woodville
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004027320 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Republic Services Of Nc Llc - East Carolina Environmental, Aulander
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070246964 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Lewiston Mill, Lewiston Woodville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072171978 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/41545768 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/41545769 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/41545770 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Greengas, Lewiston Woodville
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004027320 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Roanoke Chowan Ready Mix, Ahoskie
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006718141 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Goodnews Auto Sales & Salvage, Ahoskie
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006719006 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Bill Clough Ford. Incorporated, Windsor
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110018621570 (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 Bertie County

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