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Cocke County, Tennessee: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Cocke County is 205.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 2 times the U.S. rate and Brain & nervous system deaths at 1.9 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 172 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (70), Rail grade crossing (43), Gas station (mapped facility) (25). 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: 35.952, -83.0961.

How this county ranks in Tennessee

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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 Cocke County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	59.8	30.2	1.98xSignificant	51.2 to 69.7	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	8.4	4.4	1.91xSignificant	4.8 to 13.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	90.1	51.8	1.74xSignificant	79.5 to 101.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	11	6.6	1.67xSignificant	7.3 to 16.2	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	27.4	17.9	1.53xSignificant	21.2 to 35.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	7	4.8	1.46x	4.1 to 11.3	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	205.2	143.2	1.43xSignificant	188.1 to 223.6	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	12.2	8.7	1.4x	8.2 to 17.6	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	7.3	5.7	1.28x	4.4 to 11.6	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	506.2	453.4	1.12xSignificant	478.5 to 535.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	15.4	13.9	1.11x	10.9 to 21.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.5	11.3	1.11x	8.7 to 17.7	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.1	18.5	1.03x	14 to 25.8	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	12.5	13	0.96x	8 to 18.5	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	17.5	18.7	0.94x	12.6 to 23.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	18.7	23.8	0.79x	13.6 to 25.4	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	10	14.5	0.69x	6.4 to 15.2	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 Cocke County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	18,377.2	9,842.6	+87%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	68	75.3	-10%	years
Child mortality	78.2	59.8	+31%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	7.9	6.2	+27%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	136.2	96.9	+41%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	64.8	28.6	+127%	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.

Formaldehyde20.13 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.83 per million
Acetaldehyde1.96 per million
Benzene0.92 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit70
Rail grade crossing43
Gas station (mapped facility)25
Air permit holder (minor source)11
TRI reporting facility4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Large hazardous waste generator3
Major air pollution source2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Heliport2
Brownfield property1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
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.

Si Group Inc., Newport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $136,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110035828129 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Si Group Inc. - Newport Tn, Newport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Methanol, Ethylbenzene. Reports carcinogens. 1,149,027 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37821GRTLKROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Si Group Inc., Newport
Major air pollution source. Penalties $136,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110035828129 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Si Group Inc., Newport
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $136,160.
EPA FRS registry ID 110035828129 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Sonoco Products Company, Newport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001129047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Sonoco Products Co, Newport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Lead. Reports carcinogens. 1,171 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37821SNCPRRANKI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.9
Eastern Plating Llc, Newport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nitric acid, Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Nickel And Nickel Compounds and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 193 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37821STRNPRTE7B (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
American Appliance Products, Inc., Newport
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $4,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Eastern Plating, Llc, Newport
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373015 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Sonoco Products Company, Newport
Major air pollution source. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001129047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Sonoco Products Company, Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001129047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
American Appliance Products, Inc., Newport
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $4,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Guy Hommel Jr. Dba Hommel Concrete Company, Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070688525 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
American Appliance Products, Newport
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 37821MRCNP355CH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Newport Utilities Board Wastewater Treatment Plant, Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000757379 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Sonoco Products Company, Newport
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $6,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001129047 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Eastern Plating, Llc, Newport
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373015 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Former Mohawk Mills, Newport
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038705764 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
American Appliance Products, Inc., Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Parrottsville Stp, Parrottsville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110039851773 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
American Appliance Products, Inc., Newport
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $4,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372999 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Conagra Grocery Products Company, Newport
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001676785 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Guy Hommel Jr. Dba Hommel Concrete Company -Highway 73 Quarry And Crushing Facil, Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $10,368.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064516420 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Incredible Tiny Home Development, Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $7,642.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072201304 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Eastern Plating, Llc, Newport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373015 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3

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 Cocke County

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