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Morton County, North Dakota: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Morton County is 152.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Leukemia deaths at 2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 240 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (83), Rail grade crossing (80), Gas station (mapped facility) (16). 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: 46.6329, -101.1888.

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 Morton County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Leukemia	Deaths	11.4	5.7	2xSignificant	7.3 to 17.1	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	22.6	14.5	1.56xSignificant	16.4 to 30.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	14.9	11.3	1.32x	10.2 to 21.3	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	8.2	6.6	1.24x	4.7 to 13.5	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	22.8	18.7	1.22x	16.6 to 30.6	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	21.6	17.9	1.21x	15.6 to 29.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	16	13.9	1.15x	11.1 to 22.5	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	490	453.4	1.08xSignificant	459.4 to 522.2	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	152.6	143.2	1.07x	136.1 to 170.7	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	13.8	13	1.06x	8.7 to 20.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	53.2	51.8	1.03x	43.8 to 64.1	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24	23.8	1.01x	17.6 to 32.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.6	18.5	0.9x	11.4 to 23.4	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	25.1	30.2	0.83x	18.9 to 33	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 Morton County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	7,420.6	9,842.6	-25%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	77.3	75.3	+3%	years
Child mortality	49	59.8	-18%	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	75.6	96.9	-22%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	14.2	28.6	-50%	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.

Formaldehyde12.02 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.89 per million
Benzene0.89 per million
Acetaldehyde0.83 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit83
Rail grade crossing80
Gas station (mapped facility)16
Brownfield property8
Major air pollution source7
Wind power plant7
Public airport6
Air permit holder (minor source)5
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)5
Hazardous waste transporter4
Scrapyard (mapped facility)4
TRI reporting facility4
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Other power plant2
Large hazardous waste generator1
Coal 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.

Marathon Mandan Refinery, Mandan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Propylene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,821,441 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 58554MCLCMNORTH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Rm Heskett Station, Mandan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Zinc compounds, Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Manganese compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 750,449 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 58554RMHSKHWY18 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Marathon Mandan Refinery, Mandan
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025329918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Hebron Brick Co, Hebron
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen fluoride, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)) and 2 more. 219,171 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 58638HBRNBEASTW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
R M Heskett, Mandan
Coal power plant.
Record ID 2790 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.2
Hebron Brick Co, Hebron
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110014323393 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Marathon Mandan Refinery, Mandan
Major air pollution source. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025329918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Midwest Ag Supplements - Sunnyside Feeds, Mandan
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056176846 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Marathon Mandan Refinery, Mandan
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025329918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Marathon Mandan Refinery, Mandan
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025329918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Strata Corp - Strata Concrete Mandan 2, Mandan
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 1 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 58554NRTHL305BI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.7
Marathon Mandan Refinery, Mandan
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025329918 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Dakota Country Cheese Co. Inc., Mandan
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010675956 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.1
Mandan City Of, Mandan
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022356403 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Northern Border Pipeline Co., Unk
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010428199 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Hebron Brick Co, Hebron
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110014323393 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
City Of Mandan - Landfill Air Curtain Destructor - Aq, Mandan
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020899900 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Mandan / Mdu Heskett Station / Groundwater, Mandan
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110022356591 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Mdu Cs-6 Recovered Energy Generation Facility, Glen Ullin
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110035967718 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Glen Ullin Compressor Station, Glen Ullin
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040935897 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Fort Lincoln State Park, Mandan
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056167856 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Mandan Central Business Districe, Mandan
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038741608 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Mandan High School, Mandan
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110068131408 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
War Memorial Building (Mandan City Hall), Mandan
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071975513 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Morton Mandan Public Library (Mmpl), Mandan
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071976739 (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 Morton 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 Morton 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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