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Gaston County, North Carolina: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Gaston County is 161.7 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 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 781 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (337), Rail grade crossing (164), Air permit holder (minor source) (54). 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: 35.2825, -81.1822.

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 Gaston County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	37.7	23.8	1.58xSignificant	34.4 to 41.2	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	12.9	8.7	1.48xSignificant	11.1 to 14.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	9.5	6.6	1.44xSignificant	8 to 11.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41.7	30.2	1.38xSignificant	38.5 to 45.1	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	24.2	17.9	1.35xSignificant	21.7 to 27	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	70	51.8	1.35xSignificant	65.8 to 74.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.2	3.4	1.24x	3.2 to 5.5	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.6	4.6	1.22x	4.4 to 7	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.9	5.7	1.21x	5.6 to 8.5	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	21.8	18.7	1.17xSignificant	19.4 to 24.4	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	19.1	16.4	1.16x	13.7 to 26	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	522.3	453.4	1.15xSignificant	510.3 to 534.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	16.5	14.5	1.14x	14.4 to 18.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	161.7	143.2	1.13xSignificant	155.2 to 168.5	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.2	2	1.1x	1.5 to 3.1	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	5.2	4.8	1.08x	4.1 to 6.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4	3.7	1.08x	3 to 5.2	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.6	6.2	1.06x	5.2 to 8.2	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.2	4.1	1.02x	3.1 to 5.4	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	18.8	18.5	1.02x	16.5 to 21.3	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.3	6.6	0.95x	5 to 7.8	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.1	13.9	0.94x	11.3 to 15.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.3	11.3	0.91x	8.7 to 12.1	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4	4.4	0.91x	3 to 5.3	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	10.9	13	0.84x	9.1 to 13	2019-2023
Stomach	Deaths	2.1	2.7	0.78x	1.4 to 3	2020-2024

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 Gaston County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	11,888.9	9,842.6	+21%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	73	75.3	-3%	years
Child mortality	70.3	59.8	+18%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	7.2	6.2	+16%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	92.6	96.9	-4%	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: 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.

Formaldehyde24.3 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.9 per million
Acetaldehyde2.45 per million
Benzene1.4 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit337
Rail grade crossing164
Air permit holder (minor source)54
Gas station (mapped facility)42
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)31
Small hazardous waste generator29
TRI reporting facility28
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)21
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)12
Large hazardous waste generator11
Brownfield property10
Major air pollution source9
Large greenhouse gas emitter5
Oil-fired power plant5
Solar power plant5
Superfund (NPL) site4
Hazardous waste transporter3
Heliport2
Landfill (mapped facility)2
Hydroelectric plant2
Commercial airport1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Biomass power plant1
Coal power plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

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

Hemphill Road TCE, Gastonia
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID NC0002374445 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Jadco-Hughes Facility, Belmont
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 42. NPL Site.
EPA site ID NCD980729602 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Davis Park Road TCE, Gastonia
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 33.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID NCD986175644 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
North Belmont PCE, North Belmont
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID NCD986187128 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., Gastonia
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041964201 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co, Gastonia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, Formaldehyde, Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 129,422 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28052FRSTN37SDA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Duke Energy Carolinas Llc - Allen Steam Station, Belmont
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Lead And Lead Compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 121,731 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28012DKNRG253PL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co, Kings Mountain
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Toluene, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Methanol and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 110,350 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28086FRSTN100FI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Clariant Corp-Mount Holly West Plant, Mount Holly
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Triethylamine, Certain glycol ethers, Diethanolamine and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 17,878 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28120HCHSTPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Lubrizol, Gastonia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethyl acrylate, Vinyl acetate, Butyl acrylate, Methyl methacrylate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 10,634 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28054WLSHC207TE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Arrochem Inc, Mount Holly
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Toluene, Methyl isobutyl ketone. Reports carcinogens. 10,310 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28120RRCHM201WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Urethane Systems Usa Llc, Gastonia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Propargite, Toluene diisocyanate (mixed isomers), Diisocyanates and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,191 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28054NRYLC214WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
American & Efird Llc Plant 05 & 15, Mount Holly
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, Methanol, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution). 250,736 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28120MRCNF22AME (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
Dana Corporation, Gastonia
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $8,450.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000586544 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
G G Allen, Belmont
Coal power plant.
Record ID 2718 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.8
American & Efird Inc Plant 05 & 15, Mount Holly
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000348696 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.6
Daimler Trucks Na Llc, Mount Holly
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Methanol, Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 567 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28120FRGHT1800N (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.6
Daimler Truck Na Llc, Gastonia
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Aluminum (fume or dust), Zinc compounds, Copper and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 404 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28052FRGHT1400T (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Livent Usa Corp, Bessemer City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chlorine, n-Hexane, Cyclohexane, Lithium carbonate and 1 more. 25,012 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 28016LTHMCHWY16 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Chemtura Corporation, Gastonia
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $5,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000348259 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Dana Corporation, Gastonia
Major air pollution source. Penalties $8,450.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000586544 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.3
Livent Usa Corp., Bessemer City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056969883 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.2
Buckeye Fire Equipment, Kings Mountain
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Perfluorooctanoic acid, Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS.
TRI facility ID 2808WBCKYFPBX42 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6
Firestone Fibers & Textiles, Kings Mountain
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001494874 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co, Gastonia
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069533464 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6

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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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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