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Union County, South Carolina: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Union County is 193.4 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.6 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 234 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (88), Rail grade crossing (87), Air permit holder (minor source) (16). 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: 34.6822, -81.6379.

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 Union County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	New cases	10	4.6	2.17xSignificant	5.9 to 16.1	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	49.1	30.2	1.63xSignificant	40 to 59.9	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	19.6	13.9	1.41x	13.4 to 27.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	193.4	143.2	1.35xSignificant	173.9 to 214.6	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23.6	17.9	1.32x	16.7 to 32.6	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	67.9	51.8	1.31xSignificant	57.4 to 80.1	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7.1	6.6	1.08x	4 to 12.2	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	476.9	453.4	1.05x	445 to 510.6	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	22.1	23.8	0.93x	15.7 to 30.4	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.9	18.5	0.91x	11 to 25	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	13.1	14.5	0.9x	8.1 to 20.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	9.8	11.3	0.87x	5.8 to 16	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	13.3	18.7	0.71x	8.8 to 19.7	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 Union County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	16,927	9,842.6	+72%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	69	75.3	-8%	years
Child mortality	104.6	59.8	+75%	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	128.4	96.9	+32%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	54.5	28.6	+90%	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.

Formaldehyde23.36 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.91 per million
Acetaldehyde2.5 per million
Ethylene Oxide1.07 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit88
Rail grade crossing87
Air permit holder (minor source)16
Brownfield property9
Gas station (mapped facility)6
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)6
Small hazardous waste generator5
TRI reporting facility4
Major air pollution source3
Hydroelectric plant2
Oil-fired power plant2
Public airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Biomass 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.

The Timken Co - Tyger River Plant, Union
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Copper, Nickel, Manganese and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. 11,588 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29379THTRRINDUS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Stella-Jones Corp, Whitmire
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Arsenic And Arsenic Compounds, Copper And Copper Compounds, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region). Reports carcinogens. 418 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 29178NTDWDDELTA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Carlisle Finishing Cone Mills, Carlisle
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000587188 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Union Tosch'S Creek Wwtp, Union
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064630378 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Cswr Lockhart Treatment Facility, Lockhart
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $35,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006693060 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Timken Us Corporation Tyger River Plant, Union
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007033450 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
United Wood Treating Co Incorporated, Whitmire
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002178777 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Republic Services Union County Regional Landfill, Enoree
Major air pollution source. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041033164 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Organic Dyes & Pigments, Union
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formaldehyde. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 2937WRGNCD1INDU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Republic Services Union County Regional Landfill, Enoree
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041033164 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
City West Diesel Plant, Union
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 57886 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Webb Forging, Carlisle
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 7814 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Carlisle Finishing Cone Mills, Carlisle
Air permit holder (minor source).
EPA FRS registry ID 110000587188 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Blue Granite Water Company Fairwoods Sd, Union
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009793688 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Spectra Colorants, Union
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070244724 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Organic Dyes And Pigments, Union
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070813901 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Republic Services Union County Regional Landfill, Enoree
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110041033164 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Milliken & Co/Cedar Hill Plant, Jonesville
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001668669 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Timken Us Corporation Tyger River Plant, Union
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007033450 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Mcintyre Sand/Cudd Mine, Union
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043528288 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Uniblend Spinners Incorporated, Union
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002231790 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Princes Grocery, Union
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110017035411 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Former Wellington Leisure Products, Jonesville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038756842 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Shelton Warehouse, Carlisle
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039529793 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Union Mill, Union
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110061033983 (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 Union 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 Union 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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