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Marion County, Tennessee: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Marion County is 177.3 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 1.8 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 253 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (128), Rail grade crossing (36), Air permit holder (minor source) (28). 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: 35.1492, -85.6252.

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 Marion County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	54	30.2	1.79xSignificant	44.7 to 64.8	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	79.3	51.8	1.53xSignificant	67.9 to 92.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	9.8	6.6	1.48x	5.9 to 15.5	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	23	17.9	1.28x	16.3 to 31.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	23.2	18.5	1.25x	16.8 to 31.5	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	177.3	143.2	1.24xSignificant	159.6 to 196.7	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	10.2	8.7	1.17x	6.6 to 15.7	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	522.1	453.4	1.15xSignificant	490.3 to 555.7	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	19.3	18.7	1.03x	14 to 26.4	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	23.9	23.8	1x	17.4 to 32.2	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	12.9	13	0.99x	7.7 to 20.3	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	9.9	11.3	0.88x	6.3 to 15.3	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	11.3	13.9	0.81x	7.3 to 17.2	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	11.3	14.5	0.78x	7.4 to 16.9	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 Marion County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	13,069.4	9,842.6	+33%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72	75.3	-4%	years
Child mortality	57.1	59.8	-4%	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	126.1	96.9	+30%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	41.4	28.6	+45%	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.

Formaldehyde22.39 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.85 per million
Acetaldehyde2.16 per million
Pahpom0.98 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit128
Rail grade crossing36
Air permit holder (minor source)28
Gas station (mapped facility)19
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)9
TRI reporting facility8
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)7
Brownfield property3
Public airport2
Large hazardous waste generator2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Major air pollution source1
Commercial airport1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Heliport1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Hydroelectric plant1
Pumped storage 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.

Colonial Chemical Inc, South Pittsburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Acrylic acid, Diethanolamine, Epichlorohydrin and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 992,916 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3738WCLNLCPBX11 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.1
Lodge Manufacturing Co, South Pittsburg
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Lead, Nickel, Phosphorus (yellow or white). Reports carcinogens. 18,115 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37380LDGMN600RA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Colonial Chemical Inc., South Pittsburg
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110035818871 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Valmont Newmark, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Nickel. Reports carcinogens. 322 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37347VLMNT1950I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Azz Galvanizing - Chattanooga Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds. 12,288 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37347TNNSS1445I (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.1
Azz Galvanizing Chattanooga, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000371437 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Monteagle Stp, Plant #3, Monteagle
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,800.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009786776 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Valmont Inds. Inc., Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012706081 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Jasper Materials Holdings Llc, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds. 662 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37347NVRSL15HIC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.2
Lodge Manufacturing Company, South Pittsburg
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002106300 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Lodge Manufacturing Company, South Pittsburg
Major air pollution source. Penalties $3,750.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001858614 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Jasper Lagoon, Jasper
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006690189 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
South Pittsburg Stp, South Pittsburg
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009788710 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Petro Monteagle, Monteagle
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $9,888.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070840038 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Variform, Inc., Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000371446 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Primex Color, Compounding And Additives, Jasper
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000499951 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Shaw Industries, South Pittsburg
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007187917 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Smyrna Ready Mix Concrete, South Pittsburg
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009789960 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Azz Galvanizing Chattanooga, Jasper
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000371437 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Rock-Tenn Company, Kimball
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001862725 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Primex Color Compounding & Additives Corp, Jasper
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Tetrabromobisphenol A, Antimony compounds, Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)), Manganese compounds and 2 more.
TRI facility ID 37347NLCLR193CO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Former Whitwell Middle School, Whitwell
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071969434 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Monteagle Municipal Property, Monteagle
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071971994 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Old South Pittsburg Hospital, South Pittsburg
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071979115 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
D & L Stone, Llc - Ttc Rock Excavation Site, Sequatchie
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,093.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069996248 (U.S. EPA ECHO) 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 Marion 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 Marion 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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