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Pickens County, South Carolina: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Pickens County is 149 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Melanoma of the skin deaths at 2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 532 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (288), Gas station (mapped facility) (51), Air permit holder (minor source) (44). 2 correctional facilities operate in the county. 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: 34.8525, -82.6925.

How this county ranks in South 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 Pickens County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	3.9	2	1.95xSignificant	2.6 to 5.6	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	35.6	23.8	1.5xSignificant	31.3 to 40.3	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.2	17.9	1.3xSignificant	19.8 to 27	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	6.1	4.8	1.27x	4.5 to 8.1	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8	6.6	1.21x	6.3 to 10.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	60.6	51.8	1.17xSignificant	55.5 to 66.1	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	3.8	3.4	1.12x	2.6 to 5.4	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	33.5	30.2	1.11x	29.8 to 37.7	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	17.6	16.4	1.07x	10.4 to 27.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.3	8.7	1.07x	7.4 to 11.6	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	19.7	18.7	1.05x	16.8 to 23	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	4.3	4.1	1.05x	3 to 6	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.5	6.2	1.05x	4.7 to 8.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	149	143.2	1.04x	140.7 to 157.7	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	467.4	453.4	1.03x	452.1 to 483.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.6	5.7	0.98x	4.1 to 7.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	13.4	13.9	0.96x	11 to 16.2	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	12.2	13	0.94x	9.6 to 15.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.2	11.3	0.9x	8.2 to 12.7	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3.3	3.7	0.89x	2.1 to 4.9	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	12.7	14.5	0.88x	10.2 to 15.5	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.7	4.4	0.84x	2.5 to 5.4	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	15.4	18.5	0.83x	12.7 to 18.5	2019-2023
Esophagus	New cases	3.8	4.6	0.83x	2.6 to 5.5	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	5.2	6.6	0.79x	3.7 to 7.2	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 Pickens County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,324.1	9,842.6	+5%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	74.6	75.3	-1%	years
Child mortality	49.5	59.8	-17%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	6.1	6.2	-3%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	115.4	96.9	+19%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	45.7	28.6	+60%	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.

Formaldehyde24.19 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.87 per million
Acetaldehyde2.4 per million
Benzene1.09 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit288
Gas station (mapped facility)51
Air permit holder (minor source)44
Rail grade crossing36
Brownfield property26
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)17
Small hazardous waste generator16
TRI reporting facility10
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)10
Large hazardous waste generator7
Heliport4
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)4
Major air pollution source3
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)3
Correctional facility (prison or jail)2
Gas power plant2
Airfield1
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Hydroelectric plant1
Pumped storage plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1
Superfund (NPL) 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.

Sangamo Weston, Inc./Twelve-Mile Creek/Lake Hartwell PCB Contamination, Pickens
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 37.6. NPL Site.
EPA site ID SCD003354412 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Ortec Inc, Easley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Butyl acrylate, Xylene (mixed isomers), Methyl methacrylate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 3,104 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29640RTCNC201PI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Imperial Die Casting, Liberty
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Copper, Zinc (fume or dust), Lead and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 23,903 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29657MPRLD2249O (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Clemson University Wastewater Treatment Plant, Clemson
Major air pollution source. Penalties $4,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042037319 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Milliken & Co-Pendleton Finishing Plant, Pendleton
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000354811 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.4
Milliken & Co-Pendleton Finishing Plant, Pendleton
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution). 187,901 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29670PNDLTHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Pickens Co 18 Mile Creek Upper Wwtp, Liberty
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000762149 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Pickens County Middle Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant, Central
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002186777 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Danfoss Power Solutions (Us) Company, Easley
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006815526 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Pickens 12 Mile Creek Wwtp, Pickens
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009793116 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Clemson University Wastewater Treatment Plant, Clemson
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $4,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042037319 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Clemson University Wastewater Treatment Plant, Clemson
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110042037319 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Wilbert, Inc., Easley
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $88,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000604436 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Wilbert Plastic Services, Easley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene. 91,812 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2964WSLYCS293GR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Cornell Dubilier Marketing Inc., Liberty
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: N,N-Dimethylformamide, Ammonia, Ethylene glycol, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 385 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29657CRNLL140TE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Shaw Industries Group Inc Plant 8t, Central
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020516832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Ortec:Easley, Easley
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000354456 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.9
Basf Corporation/Clemson Site, Central
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formic acid, Ethylene glycol, Diisocyanates, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates. 3,630 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29630BSFCRHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.7
St Jude Medical Cardiology Div. Inc., Liberty
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Potassium perfluorobutane sulfonate. Reports PFAS. 25 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2965WSTJDM253FI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.6
Palmetto Plating Co Inc, Easley
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid. 1,965 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2964WPLMTT51SAC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Pickens Co-Liberty Roper Wwtf, Liberty
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $10,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002186866 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
King Real Estate Groves On The Ridge, Central
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,900.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006693042 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Palmetto Plating Co Inc, Easley
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007838386 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Basf Corporate/Clemson Site, Central
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015633279 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Imperial Die Casting, Liberty
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000354768 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

Pickens County Stockade, Pickens
EPA FRS registry ID
110002238007
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report
Pickens County/Prison Camp Mine, Pickens
EPA FRS registry ID
110040608170
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Pickens County

South 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 Pickens County, and their findings.
South 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.
South Carolina health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
South 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.
South 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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