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Butler County, Ohio: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Butler County is 157.5 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Bladder deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 857 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Air permit holder (minor source) (171), Rail grade crossing (168), Gas station (mapped facility) (140). 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: 39.4481, -84.577.

How this county ranks in Ohio

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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 Butler 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	30.2	23.8	1.27xSignificant	27.9 to 32.7	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	5.2	4.1	1.27xSignificant	4.3 to 6.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	38.1	30.2	1.26xSignificant	35.7 to 40.7	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5.8	4.6	1.26xSignificant	4.8 to 6.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	2.5	2	1.25x	1.9 to 3.3	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	4.6	3.7	1.24x	3.7 to 5.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	63.9	51.8	1.23xSignificant	60.6 to 67.2	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	21.9	17.9	1.22xSignificant	20 to 24	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.8	5.7	1.19xSignificant	5.8 to 8	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	21.7	18.7	1.16xSignificant	19.8 to 23.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	157.5	143.2	1.1xSignificant	152.4 to 162.8	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.8	4.4	1.09x	3.9 to 5.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.3	11.3	1.09x	10.9 to 13.8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.7	3.4	1.09x	3 to 4.7	2020-2024
Stomach	Deaths	2.9	2.7	1.07x	2.2 to 3.7	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	482.8	453.4	1.06xSignificant	473.6 to 492.2	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.5	6.2	1.05x	5.4 to 7.8	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	6.8	6.6	1.03x	5.8 to 7.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	14.2	13.9	1.02x	12.6 to 15.8	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.6	6.6	1x	5.6 to 7.8	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	14.2	14.5	0.98x	12.6 to 15.9	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.7	4.8	0.98x	3.9 to 5.8	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	15.6	16.4	0.95x	11.8 to 20.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	17.4	18.5	0.94x	15.7 to 19.3	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	11.4	13	0.88x	10 to 13.1	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	7.5	8.7	0.86x	6.4 to 8.7	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 Butler County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	9,596.1	9,842.6	-3%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	75.4	75.3	+0%	years
Child mortality	47.9	59.8	-20%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.9	6.2	+11%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	95.1	96.9	-2%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	52.5	28.6	+83%	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.

Formaldehyde19.23 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.94 per million
Acetaldehyde2.06 per million
Naphthalene1.78 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 121 good, 5 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 55, peak 151.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Air permit holder (minor source)171
Rail grade crossing168
Gas station (mapped facility)140
Small hazardous waste generator54
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)53
TRI reporting facility44
NPDES wastewater discharge permit37
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)35
Large hazardous waste generator32
Brownfield property29
Major air pollution source15
Landfill (mapped facility)12
Hazardous waste transporter10
Large greenhouse gas emitter9
EPA air quality monitor8
Heliport8
Gas power plant6
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)5
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)4
Industrial wastewater discharge4
Scrapyard (mapped facility)4
Commercial airport3
Superfund (NPL) site2
Public airport1
Hydroelectric plant1
Other power plant1
Proposed Superfund site1

Highest-severity records

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

Skinner Landfill, West Chester
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 30.2. NPL Site.
EPA site ID OHD063963714 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Chem-Dyne, Hamilton
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID OHD074727793 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Middletown
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Zinc compounds, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 803,813 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45043RMCNC1801C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Suncoke Energy Middletown Operations, Middletown
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $60,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046371500 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9
Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corp, Middletown
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000392557 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Middletown Coke Co, Middletown
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Hydrogen fluoride, Lead compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 455,252 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4504WSNCKN3353Y (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
The Shepherd Color Co, Cincinnati
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Toluene, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Cobalt compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 355,567 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45246THSHP4539D (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Tedia Co Llc, Fairfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acetonitrile, Dichloromethane, n-Hexane, Methyl tert-butyl ether and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 93,642 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4501WTDCMP1TEDI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Plas-Tanks Industries Inc., Hamilton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 59,070 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45015PLSTN39STA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Armco Inc., Hamilton Plant, Hamilton
Proposed Superfund site. Hazard Ranking System score 69.3. Proposed NPL Site.
EPA site ID OHD074705930 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 8
Superior Industrial Solutions Inc, Fairfield
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Hexane and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 19,918 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45014SPRRS320NO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Bluescope Coated Products Llc, Middletown
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Butyl alcohol, Xylene (mixed isomers), 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Certain glycol ethers and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 19,409 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45044PRFNS2400Y (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Yankee, Middletown
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 390170020 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 7.6
Federaleagle, Llc, Cincinnati
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 9,201 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4524WFDRLG995PR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.5
Evertz Technology Services Inc., Middletown
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 4,953 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45043VRTZT261SV (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
BPG, Middletown
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 390170022 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 7.3
Univar Solutions Usa Inc. - Hamilton, Hamilton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Toluene, Ethylene glycol, Certain glycol ethers and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,875 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45015CHMCN12STA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.3
Shepherd Middletown Co, Middletown
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Copper compounds, Nickel compounds and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,266 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45044SHPRD3444Y (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.1
National Resilience Inc., West Chester
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Dichloromethane. Reports carcinogens. 2,050 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45071MYLNH8814T (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Worthington Steel Co, Monroe
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Nickel, Lead, Chromium and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,907 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45050WRTHN350LA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Molson Coors Usa Llc - Trenton Brewery, Trenton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Nitric acid, Chlorine. 136,607 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45067MLLRB2525W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Wausau Paper Towel & Tissue Llc, Middletown
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000392487 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.7
World Fuel Services Monroe Bulk Plant, Monroe
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylbenzene, Benzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 648 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 4505WWRLDF89TDH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.7
Terry Asphalt Materials Inc, Hamilton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 435 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 45015TRRYH8STAN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Ohio Bell, Middletown
EPA air quality monitor.
Record ID 390170015 (U.S. EPA AirData)
Severity 6.5

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 Butler County

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