TN / county FIPS 47041 / county research

DeKalb County, Tennessee: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in DeKalb County is 189.9 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 1.9 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 112 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (63), Air permit holder (minor source) (14), Gas station (mapped facility) (12). One correctional facility operates 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: 35.9829, -85.8375.

How this county ranks in Tennessee

View on the heat map Scan an address in this county

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 DeKalb County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	56.3	30.2	1.86xSignificant	44.9 to 70.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	86.3	51.8	1.67xSignificant	71.7 to 103.4	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	189.9	143.2	1.33xSignificant	167.8 to 214.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	18.1	13.9	1.3x	11.6 to 27.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	14.7	11.3	1.3x	9.2 to 22.7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	11.2	8.7	1.29x	6.4 to 18.7	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	22.6	18.7	1.21x	15.4 to 32.3	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	464.7	453.4	1.02x	428.4 to 503.5	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	16.8	18.5	0.91x	10.6 to 25.7	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	14.1	17.9	0.79x	8.7 to 22	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	17.2	23.8	0.72x	10.9 to 26.2	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 DeKalb County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	13,348.2	9,842.6	+36%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.7	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	77.4	59.8	+30%	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	135	96.9	+39%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	67.4	28.6	+136%	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.

Formaldehyde19.88 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.89 per million
Acetaldehyde2.13 per million
Benzene0.82 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 357 days: 345 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 34, peak 84.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit63
Air permit holder (minor source)14
Gas station (mapped facility)12
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)5
Small hazardous waste generator4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Public airport2
TRI reporting facility2
Major air pollution source1
EPA air quality monitor1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Heliport1
Hydroelectric 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.

Tenneco Automotive Walker, Smithville
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $6,571.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004984777 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.9
Tenneco Inc., Smithville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nickel, Manganese, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 393 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37166TNNCT645EB (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.5
Federal-Mogul Friction Products, Smithville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056964691 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Tenneco Braking (Frmly Federal-Mogul Motorparts Llc), Smithville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Phenol, Zinc (fume or dust), Antimony And Antimony Compounds, Copper and 4 more. 16,879 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37166NTRNC1GRIZ (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Alexandria Stp, Alexandria
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006690713 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Smithville Water Treatment Plant, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110050092038 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Shiroki N.A. Inc., Smithville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese. 64 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3716WSHRKN1111W (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.4
Federal-Mogul Friction Products, Smithville
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056964691 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Smithville Stp, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009786829 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Tenneco Automotive Walker, Smithville
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $6,571.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004984777 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Tenneco Automotive Walker, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $6,571.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004984777 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Dowelltown-Liberty Water System, Dowelltown
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009786687 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Smithport Cabinetry Partners, Smithville
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001862388 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Dekalb County Highway Department, Liberty
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069416670 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Dekalb Utility District Wtp, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069481572 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Appalachian Center For Crafts, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009788033 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Federal-Mogul Friction Products, Smithville
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056964691 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.3
Smithville Muni, Smithville
Public airport. O.
Record ID 0A3 (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Cleaners Express
Dry cleaner (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID node/11929460844 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Smithport Cabinetry Partners, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001862388 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Edgar Evins State Park, Silver Point
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009787659 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Braking Products Group Us Llc, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056947185 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Dekalb County Landfill, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070001976 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
500 Hwy 70 Foutch Property, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071179819 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Holmes Services Borrow Pit Project, Smithville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071363984 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8

Correctional facilities

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

Dekalb County Jail, Smithville
EPA FRS registry ID
110072248923
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.

Scan an address in DeKalb County View on the heat map All Tennessee counties