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Spartanburg County, South Carolina: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Spartanburg County is 162.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Stomach deaths at 1.5 times the U.S. rate and Liver & bile duct deaths at 1.3 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,127 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (1,169), Air permit holder (minor source) (220), Rail grade crossing (195). One correctional facility operates in the county. EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 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: 34.89, -81.9801.

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 Spartanburg County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Stomach	Deaths	4	2.7	1.48xSignificant	3.1 to 5	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.7	6.6	1.32xSignificant	7.5 to 10.1	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.4	3.4	1.29xSignificant	3.5 to 5.4	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	8.5	6.6	1.29xSignificant	7.2 to 9.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	38	30.2	1.26xSignificant	35.4 to 40.7	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	5.5	4.4	1.25xSignificant	4.5 to 6.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	62.5	51.8	1.21xSignificant	59.2 to 66.1	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.6	17.9	1.15xSignificant	18.6 to 22.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	162.2	143.2	1.13xSignificant	156.7 to 167.9	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.8	8.7	1.13x	8.5 to 11.2	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	5.3 to 7.6	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	471.5	453.4	1.04xSignificant	461.9 to 481.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24	23.8	1.01x	21.8 to 26.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.7	4.8	0.98x	3.7 to 5.7	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	14.1	14.5	0.97x	12.4 to 15.9	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.9	6.2	0.95x	4.9 to 7.1	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	3.5	3.7	0.95x	2.7 to 4.4	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	4.3	4.6	0.93x	3.4 to 5.3	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.8	4.1	0.93x	3 to 4.8	2020-2024
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	15.2	16.4	0.93x	11.3 to 20.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.2	11.3	0.9x	8.9 to 11.7	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.8	2	0.9x	1.2 to 2.5	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	12.5	13.9	0.9x	11 to 14.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	16.3	18.7	0.87x	14.5 to 18.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16	18.5	0.86x	14.3 to 17.9	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	10.2	13	0.78x	8.7 to 11.8	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 Spartanburg County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	11,012.9	9,842.6	+12%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	73.8	75.3	-2%	years
Child mortality	62.6	59.8	+5%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	5.6	6.2	-10%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	109.3	96.9	+13%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	43	28.6	+50%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde25 per million
Ethylene Oxide3.22 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.89 per million
Acetaldehyde2.5 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 201 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 48, peak 93.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,127 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit1,169
Air permit holder (minor source)220
Rail grade crossing195
Gas station (mapped facility)148
Small hazardous waste generator73
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)72
TRI reporting facility57
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)52
Large hazardous waste generator37
Major air pollution source22
Brownfield property16
Scrapyard (mapped facility)12
Public airport8
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)7
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)6
Large greenhouse gas emitter6
Solar power plant5
Hazardous waste transporter4
Landfill (mapped facility)4
EPA air quality monitor2
Commercial airport2
Biomass power plant2
Hydroelectric plant2
Oil-fired power plant2
Superfund (NPL) site2
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
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.

Aqua-Tech Environmental Inc. (Groce Laboratories), Greer
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID SCD058754789 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Elmore Waste Disposal, Greer
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 31.5. NPL Site.
EPA site ID SCD980839542 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Bmw Manufacturing Co Llc, Greer
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, n-Butyl alcohol, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,376,293 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29651BMWMN1400H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Celanese Emulsions Enoree Plant, Enoree
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Vinyl acetate, Ethylene, Acetaldehyde, Butyl acrylate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 726,732 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29335CLNSM14355 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Auriga Polymers Inc-Spartanburg Facility, Spartanburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Biphenyl, Acetaldehyde, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 279,757 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29304HCHSTI85AT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.7
Kohler Co., Spartanburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Zinc compounds. Reports carcinogens. 252,607 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29304KHLRC4000S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.6
Celanese Ltd Enoree Plant, Enoree
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $7,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110025404417 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.6
Santolubes Manufacturing, Llc, Spartanburg
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000352797 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Plasman Sc Inc., Greer
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl isobutyl ketone, Diisocyanates, Xylene (mixed isomers), Certain glycol ethers and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 98,002 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2965WMNGHS1RBIN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Starchem Llc, Wellford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Benzyl chloride, Methanol, Ammonia, Diethyl sulfate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 66,195 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29385SYBRN10150 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors Llc, Greer
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Certain glycol ethers, Xylene (mixed isomers), n-Butyl alcohol, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 50,020 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2965WPLSTC31GEN (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Dave Steel Co Inc, Chesnee
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Manganese, Chromium, Copper and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 39,743 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2932WDVSTL2HRSE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Univar Solutions Usa, Spartanburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Dichloromethane, Ammonia, Methanol, Ethylene glycol and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 32,615 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29302VNWTR2750S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8
Mw Components - Greer: Springs, Greer
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Nickel, Chromium, Manganese and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 27,665 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2965WDRCRL2375H (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Milliken Chemical - Dewey Plant, Inman
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ethylene glycol, Methanol, N,N-Dimethylformamide, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 23,277 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29349MLLKN1440C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Milliken Chemical - Dewey Plant, Inman
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $6,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000498550 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Starchem -- Wellford Plant, Wellford
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $16,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000353251 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.8
Toray Cma Inc. Sc, Moore
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acrylonitrile, Ammonia. Reports carcinogens. 17,307 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2936WTRYCM222MR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Synthomer Usa Llc, Roebuck
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Butyl acrylate, Vinyl acetate, Methyl methacrylate and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 16,167 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29376BCNDSPOBOX (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Henkel Us Operations Corp, Enoree
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Vinyl acetate. Reports carcinogens. 14,426 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29335NTNLSHIGHW (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Specialty Industrial Products, Inc., Spartanburg
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $38,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000542985 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
Auriga Polymers Inc, Spartanburg
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $8,760.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070828215 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.7
Superior Industrial Solutions Inc, Cowpens
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene, Toluene, Certain glycol ethers, Xylene (mixed isomers) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 13,349 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2933WSPRRL592NM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.7
Basf Corp, Spartanburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Propylene oxide, Ethylene oxide, Ethylene glycol, Vinyl acetate and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 11,511 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29302BSFCR3455S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors, Inc., Greer
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $25,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110062699058 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6

Correctional facilities

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

Dutchman Correctional Institution, Enoree
EPA FRS registry ID
110002242500
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Spartanburg 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 Spartanburg 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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