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Roane County, Tennessee: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Roane County is 159.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Esophagus deaths at 1.7 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 389 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (146), Rail grade crossing (116), Air permit holder (minor source) (27). 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: 35.8459, -84.5455.

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 Roane County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Esophagus	Deaths	6.3	3.7	1.7xSignificant	4.1 to 9.3	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	7.8	4.6	1.7xSignificant	5.5 to 11.2	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	43	30.2	1.42xSignificant	37.2 to 49.6	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	70.1	51.8	1.35xSignificant	62.6 to 78.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4.5	3.4	1.32x	2.7 to 7.3	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.7	17.9	1.16x	16.3 to 26.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	159.9	143.2	1.12xSignificant	148.2 to 172.4	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	6.3	5.7	1.11x	3.9 to 9.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	12.1	11.3	1.07x	9.2 to 16	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7	6.6	1.06x	4.8 to 10.1	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	6.4	6.2	1.03x	4 to 9.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24.2	23.8	1.02x	19.3 to 30.1	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	455.7	453.4	1.01x	434.6 to 477.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.6	13.9	0.98x	10.3 to 17.7	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.1	4.4	0.93x	2.5 to 6.8	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	New cases	8	8.7	0.92x	5.6 to 11.2	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.7	4.1	0.9x	2.1 to 6.2	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	13	14.5	0.9x	9.1 to 18	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	14.5	18.5	0.78x	11 to 19	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	5.1	6.6	0.77x	3 to 8.1	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	3.6	4.8	0.75x	2.2 to 6.1	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	13.9	18.7	0.74x	10.7 to 18	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	6	13	0.46x	3.6 to 9.5	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 Roane County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	13,431.3	9,842.6	+36%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	72.6	75.3	-4%	years
Child mortality	65.5	59.8	+10%	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	162.6	96.9	+68%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	87.8	28.6	+207%	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.

Formaldehyde22.92 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.88 per million
Acetaldehyde2.36 per million
Benzene0.98 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 360 days: 319 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 29, peak 68.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit146
Rail grade crossing116
Air permit holder (minor source)27
Gas station (mapped facility)22
TRI reporting facility11
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)9
Hazardous waste transporter8
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)8
Major air pollution source6
Large hazardous waste generator6
Scrapyard (mapped facility)6
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)6
Public airport3
Brownfield property3
Large greenhouse gas emitter3
Small hazardous waste generator3
Superfund (NPL) site2
EPA air quality monitor1
Heliport1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Coal 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.

Tva Kingston Fossil Plant, Harriman
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $202,650.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372631 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Oak Ridge Reservation (USDOE), Oak Ridge
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 51.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TN1890090003 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Clinch River Corporation, Harriman
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 48. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TND987768587 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
U.S. Tva Kingston Fossil Plant, Harriman
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Barium And Barium Compounds, Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Barium compounds (except for barium sulfate (CAS No. 7727-43-7)) and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,701,273 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37763STVKNSWANP (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Horsehead Corp, Rockwood
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000590101 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Befesa Zinc Us Inc., Rockwood
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Zinc compounds, Lead compounds, Manganese compounds, Mercury compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 17,336 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37854HRSHDENDOF (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.8
Tva Kingston Fossil Plant, Harriman
Major air pollution source. Penalties $202,650.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372631 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Kingston, Kingston
Coal power plant.
Record ID 3407 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 7.4
Nnsa U.S. Doe Central Training Facility, Oak Ridge
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 1,943 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3783WSDCNT12BEA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7
Tva Kingston Fossil Plant, Harriman
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $202,650.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372631 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Teijin Carbon America, Inc., Rockwood
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $1,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373113 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.7
Horsehead Corp, Rockwood
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000590101 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Teijin Carbon America Inc., Rockwood
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen cyanide. 17,176 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37854FRTFLROANE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
Us Doe, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110002040201 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.2
Cobalt Boats, Llc, Lenoir City
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071889430 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Horsehead Corp, Rockwood
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000590101 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Us Doe Y-12 Natl Security Complex - Bld Y-12, Oak Ridge
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000607521 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Horsehead Corp, Rockwood
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000590101 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
U.S. Doe Central Training Facility, Kingston
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071672584 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Diversified Scientific Services, Kingston
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372622 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.1
Diversified Scientific Service S Inc. (Dssi), Kingston
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Mercury And Mercury Compounds, Mercury compounds, Lead, Polychlorinated biphenyls. Reports carcinogens. 3 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 37763DVRSF657GA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5
Oliver Springs Stp, Oliver Springs
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $7,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110030769648 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Georgia Masonry Supply Rockwood, Rockwood
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead, Lead And Lead Compounds. Reports carcinogens.
TRI facility ID 37854BGRCK600CA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.5
Diversified Scientific Services, Kingston
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000372622 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Teijin Carbon America, Inc., Rockwood
Major air pollution source. Penalties $1,500.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373113 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5

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 Roane 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 Roane 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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