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Grant County, South Dakota: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Grant County is 168.4 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. Federal databases place 141 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (83), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (22), Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility) (5). 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: 45.1515, -96.7737.

How this county ranks in South Dakota

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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 Grant 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	49.1	23.8	2.06xSignificant	28.6 to 78.5	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	168.4	143.2	1.18x	137.7 to 205.2	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	485.2	453.4	1.07x	426.2 to 550.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	27.2	30.2	0.9x	16.2 to 44.8	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	33.4	51.8	0.64x	20.5 to 53.3	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 Grant County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	5,749.1	9,842.6	-42%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	78.5	75.3	+4%	years
Child mortality	n/a	59.8	n/a	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	74.6	96.9	-23%	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.

Formaldehyde12.11 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.95 per million
Acetaldehyde0.97 per million
Benzene0.62 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing83
NPDES wastewater discharge permit22
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)5
Air permit holder (minor source)4
Gas station (mapped facility)4
TRI reporting facility4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Public airport2
Brownfield property2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Oil-fired power plant2
Wind power plant2
Major air pollution source1
Small hazardous waste generator1
Coal power plant1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1
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.

Otter Tail Power Co Big Stone Plant, Big Stone City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Manganese compounds, Ammonia, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,921,225 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 57216BGSTN48450 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Poet Biorefining-Big Stone Llc, Big Stone City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acetaldehyde, Methanol, n-Hexane, Formic acid and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 87,562 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 57216NRTHR48416 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.3
Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc., Milbank
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $29,917.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000427921 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Valley Queen Cheese Factory Inc., Milbank
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Nitric acid, Peracetic acid and 1 more. 96,773 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 57252VLLYQ200ER (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.8
Otter Tail Power Company, Big Stone City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011493437 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Big Stone, Big Stone City
Coal power plant.
Record ID 6098 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 6.5
Poet Biorefining Big Stone, Big Stone City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020518992 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
State Auto Insurance, Milbank
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 56244 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Valley Queen Cheese, Milbank
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 56274 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Gcc-Big Stone City, Big Stone City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110055498705 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Otter Tail Power Company, Big Stone City
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011493437 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc., Milbank
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $29,917.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000427921 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Milbank, City Of, Milbank
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009792527 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Ottertail Power Co Property, Ortonville
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015330774 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Former Labolt School, Labolt
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110044759589 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc., Milbank
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $29,917.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000427921 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Gcc-Big Stone City, Big Stone City
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead compounds.
TRI facility ID 5721WBGSTN14475 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Otter Tail Power Company, Big Stone City
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110011493437 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Poet Biorefining Big Stone, Big Stone City
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020518992 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Labolt, Town Of, Labolt
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009705587 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Milbank Muni, Milbank
Public airport. O.
Record ID 1D1 (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Valley Queen Cheese Wastwater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/1503616972 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Strandburg, Town Of, Strandburg
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009790690 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Revillo, Town Of, Revillo
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009792260 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.5
Stockholm - City Of, Stockholm
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110028183855 (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 Grant County

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