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Saline County, Nebraska: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Saline County is 134.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 161 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (85), Air permit holder (minor source) (42), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (17). 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: 40.5241, -97.1406.

How this county ranks in Nebraska

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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 Saline County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
All cancer	Deaths	134.2	143.2	0.94x	110.6 to 161.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	46.5	51.8	0.9x	33.4 to 63.5	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	401.6	453.4	0.89x	359.4 to 447.6	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	19.8	23.8	0.83x	11.4 to 32.3	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	24.6	30.2	0.81x	15.3 to 37.8	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 Saline County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	5,921.9	9,842.6	-40%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	79.2	75.3	+5%	years
Child mortality	64.6	59.8	+8%	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	69.1	96.9	-29%	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.

Formaldehyde15.17 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.88 per million
Acetaldehyde1.23 per million
Benzene0.66 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing85
Air permit holder (minor source)42
NPDES wastewater discharge permit17
Gas station (mapped facility)3
Small hazardous waste generator2
TRI reporting facility2
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)2
Airfield1
Commercial airport1
Brownfield property1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Gas power plant1
Oil-fired power plant1
Wind power plant1
Wastewater plant (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.

Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp-Crete, Crete
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Hydrogen sulfide, Ammonia, Sodium nitrite and 1 more. 8,362,703 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68333FRMLNPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Nestle Purina Petcare Co, Crete
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Zinc compounds. 151,004 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 68333LPPTFBOX96 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Smithfield Farmland Corp-Crete, Crete
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064150449 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Nestle Purina Petcare Company, Crete
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000596864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Wilber, Wilber
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 2315 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Wilber Municipal Power Plant, Wilber
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110001514718 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Crete Wwtf, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110008961597 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Nestle Purina Petcare Company, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000596864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Crete, Crete
Gas power plant.
Record ID 2231 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 3
Former Lincoln Af Base Atlas Missile Facility #9, Wilber
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071967167 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Irwin Industrial Tool Co, De Witt
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000447758 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Smithfield Farmland Corp-Crete, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064150449 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Dewitt Wastewater Treatment Facility, De Witt
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010168932 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Friend Wastewater Treatment Facility, Friend
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006579737 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Smithfield Farmland Corp-Crete, Crete
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064150449 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Dewitt Wastewater Treatment Facility, De Witt
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110010168932 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Dorchester Wastewater Treatment Facility, Dorchester
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011036191 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Crete Muni, Crete
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID CEK (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/764149230 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Nestle Purina Petcare Company, Crete
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110000596864 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Crete Wwtf, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070000752 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Crete Municipal Plant, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001512532 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Doane University, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001512541 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Douglas Manufacturing Co, Crete
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001515753 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Crete Ready Mix Co, Crete
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001516583 (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 Saline County

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