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Mercer County, North Dakota: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Mercer County is 131.1 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 138 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (52), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (48), 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: 47.2769, -101.7125.

How this county ranks in North Dakota

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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 Mercer County compared with the United States
CancerMeasureCounty rateU.S. rateTimes U.S.95% intervalYears
Kidney & renal pelvisNew cases34.517.91.93xSignificant19.5 to 572019-2023
All cancerNew cases449453.40.99x394.1 to 510.12019-2023
Lung & bronchusNew cases50.951.80.98x35 to 72.92019-2023
All cancerDeaths131.1143.20.92x104.3 to 163.92020-2024
Lung & bronchusDeaths25.430.20.84x14.7 to 42.62020-2024

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 Mercer County
MeasureCountyU.S. medianDifferenceUnit
Premature death7,937.89,842.6-19%years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy79.375.3+5%years
Child mortalityn/a59.8n/adeaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortalityn/a6.2n/adeaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths104.296.9+7%deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deathsn/a28.6n/adeaths 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.

  • Formaldehyde11.83 per million
  • Carbon Tetrachloride2.88 per million
  • Benzene0.74 per million
  • Acetaldehyde0.73 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 293 good, 10 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 37, peak 283.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

  • Rail grade crossing52
  • NPDES wastewater discharge permit48
  • Air permit holder (minor source)8
  • Gas station (mapped facility)5
  • Major air pollution source4
  • Coal power plant3
  • Scrapyard (mapped facility)3
  • TRI reporting facility3
  • Public airport2
  • Brownfield property2
  • Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
  • EPA air quality monitor1
  • Commercial airport1
  • Large greenhouse gas emitter1
  • Large hazardous waste generator1
  • Small hazardous waste generator1
  • 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.

  1. Basin Electric Antelope Valley Station, Beulah

    Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Barium And Barium Compounds, Acetonitrile, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 122,188,069 lbs released over 5 years.

    TRI facility ID 58523NTLPV294CO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)

    Severity 10

  2. Otter Tail Power Co Coyote Station, Beulah

    Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Manganese compounds, Vanadium compounds, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,946,448 lbs released over 5 years.

    TRI facility ID 58523TTRTL62401 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)

    Severity 9.6

  3. Antelope Valley, Beulah

    TRI reporting facility.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070834834 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 7.5

  4. Coyote, Beulah

    TRI reporting facility.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110000428378 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 7.5

  5. Basin Electric Power Coop - Leland Olds Station, Stanton

    TRI reporting facility.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110000595099 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 6.9

  6. Antelope Valley, Beulah

    Coal power plant.

    Record ID 6469 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

    Severity 6.9

  7. Leland Olds, Stanton

    Coal power plant.

    Record ID 2817 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

    Severity 6.7

  8. Coyote, Beulah

    Coal power plant.

    Record ID 8222 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

    Severity 6.4

  9. Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Beulah

    Major air pollution source. Penalties $130,985.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070292846 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 6.3

  10. Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Beulah

    Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $130,985.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070292846 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 5.8

  11. Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Beulah

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $130,985.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070292846 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 5.8

  12. BEULAH NORTH

    EPA air quality monitor.

    Record ID 380570004 (U.S. EPA AirData)

    Severity 5.5

  13. Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Beulah

    Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $130,985.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070292846 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 5.3

  14. Coyote, Beulah

    Major air pollution source.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110000428378 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 4.3

  15. North Dakota State Water Commission, Unknown

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070099622 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 4.3

  16. Beulah City Of, Beulah

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110072167085 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 4.3

  17. Basin Electric Power Coop - Leland Olds Station, Stanton

    Major air pollution source.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110000595099 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 4

  18. Antelope Valley, Beulah

    Major air pollution source.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070834834 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 4

  19. Coyote, Beulah

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110000428378 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 3.8

  20. Basin Electric Power Coop - Leland Olds Station, Stanton

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110000595099 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 3.5

  21. Antelope Valley, Beulah

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070834834 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 3.5

  22. Fort Clark Irrigation District, Unknown

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110071068897 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 3.5

  23. Twin Buttes Water System, Halliday

    NPDES wastewater discharge permit.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110070626542 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record

    Severity 3.3

  24. Former Pioneer Homes Nursing Home, Hazen

    Brownfield property.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110071970881 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record

    Severity 3

  25. Sakakawea Medical Center, Hazen

    Brownfield property.

    EPA FRS registry ID 110071986897 (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 Mercer County

  • North Dakota 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 Mercer County, and their findings.

  • North Dakota 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 Dakota health department, environmental epidemiology

    Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.

  • North Dakota 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 Dakota 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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