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Shelby County, Tennessee: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Shelby County is 163.3 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Stomach deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 2,218 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (829), Rail grade crossing (346), Gas station (mapped facility) (306). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 40 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: 35.2013, -89.8657.

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 Shelby County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Stomach	Deaths	3.8	2.7	1.41xSignificant	3.2 to 4.4	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	Deaths	4	3.4	1.18x	3.4 to 4.6	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	35.3	30.2	1.17xSignificant	33.7 to 37	2020-2024
Stomach	New cases	7.7	6.6	1.17xSignificant	6.9 to 8.5	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	163.3	143.2	1.14xSignificant	159.7 to 166.9	2020-2024
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	7.5	6.6	1.14xSignificant	6.8 to 8.3	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.1	17.9	1.12xSignificant	18.8 to 21.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.7	8.7	1.11xSignificant	8.8 to 10.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.2	11.3	1.08x	11.2 to 13.2	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	53.2	51.8	1.03x	51.2 to 55.3	2019-2023
Childhood cancer (under 15)	New cases	16.7	16.4	1.02x	14.2 to 19.4	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5.8	5.7	1.02x	5.1 to 6.5	2020-2024
Thyroid	Deaths	0.5	0.5	1x	0.3 to 0.7	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	13.8	13.9	0.99x	12.8 to 14.9	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	440	453.4	0.97x	434.1 to 445.9	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	4.3	4.8	0.9x	3.7 to 4.9	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	3.9	4.4	0.89x	3.4 to 4.5	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	12.7	14.5	0.88x	11.7 to 13.7	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.4	6.2	0.87x	4.8 to 6.1	2019-2023
Bladder	Deaths	3.5	4.1	0.85x	3 to 4.1	2020-2024
Esophagus	Deaths	3	3.7	0.81x	2.6 to 3.6	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	3.7	4.6	0.8x	3.1 to 4.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	14	18.5	0.76x	12.9 to 15.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	14.1	18.7	0.75x	13.1 to 15.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	Deaths	1.5	2	0.75x	1.1 to 1.9	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	8.7	13	0.67x	7.9 to 9.6	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	10.8	23.8	0.45x	9.9 to 11.8	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 Shelby County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	14,563.8	9,842.6	+48%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.8	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	94.4	59.8	+58%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	8.8	6.2	+41%	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	132	96.9	+36%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	57.5	28.6	+101%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 40 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde26.25 per million
Ethylene Oxide3.73 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.94 per million
Acetaldehyde2.44 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 365 days: 220 good, 5 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 47, peak 147.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

2,218 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit829
Rail grade crossing346
Gas station (mapped facility)306
Air permit holder (minor source)170
Small hazardous waste generator92
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)91
TRI reporting facility80
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)74
Large hazardous waste generator71
Major air pollution source32
Brownfield property25
Scrapyard (mapped facility)20
Large greenhouse gas emitter15
Heliport12
Public airport11
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)11
Landfill (mapped facility)7
Superfund (NPL) site7
EPA air quality monitor5
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)5
Hazardous waste transporter3
Solar power plant3
Commercial airport2
Gas 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.

Minasolve, Llc, Memphis
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $379,660.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009446643 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 10
Memphis Defense Depot (DLA), Memphis
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 58.1. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TN4210020570 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Carrier Air Conditioning Co., Collierville
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 48.9. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TND044062222 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Arlington Blending & Packaging, Arlington
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 39. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TND980468557 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Former Custom Cleaners, Memphis
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TNN000402275 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Smalley-Piper, Collierville
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TNN000407378 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Walker Machine Products, Inc., Collierville
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TNN000410124 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
National Fireworks, Cordova
Superfund (NPL) site. Hazard Ranking System score 50. NPL Site.
EPA site ID TNSFN0407047 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Tradebe Treatment & Recycling Of Tennessee Llc, Millington
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $405,490.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000618911 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.7
Lucite International, Memphis
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $336,501.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000374434 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.6
Pmc Biogenix Inc, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Methanol, Ethylene glycol, Zinc compounds and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 2,511,270 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38108WTCCR1231P (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.4
Farrell-Calhoun Inc, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Ethylbenzene, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates, Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and 1 more. Reports carcinogens. Reports PFAS. 22,070 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38126FRRLL221EC (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Covoro Mining Solutions Llc, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia, Acetonitrile, Hydrogen cyanide, Cyanide compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,373,992 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38127DPNTM2571F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.2
Valero Refining Co - Tennessee L.L.C., Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen cyanide, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Ammonia, Propylene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 890,368 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38109MPCPT543WE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.1
Mitsubishi Chemical America Inc, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methyl methacrylate, Methanol, 2-Methyllactonitrile, Hydrogen cyanide and 3 more. Reports carcinogens. 548,394 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38127CCRYL2665F (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.9
E I Dupont De Nemours & Company Inc, Memphis
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $7,200.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000374443 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.9
Pmc Biogenix Memphis Plant, Memphis
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $6,125.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373998 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.7
American Yeast Corp Tennessee, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acetaldehyde, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nitric acid, Ammonia. Reports carcinogens. 157,148 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38127MRCNY245NS (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Pennakem Llc, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Furan, Methanol, Methyl tert-butyl ether, Dimethylamine and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 147,244 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38108QCHMC3324C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.5
Southern Cotton Oil Co, Memphis
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $88,848.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000373970 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Sherwin-Williams Co, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 130,701 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38109NTDPN404EM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Ab Mauri Fleischmann'S, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Acetaldehyde, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Nitric acid, Ammonia. Reports carcinogens. 117,000 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38109FLSCH2743R (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.4
Arbor Preservative Systems Llc, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Naphthalene, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Creosote, Phenanthrene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 73,446 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38113WSTRN1471C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Owens Corning Roofing & Asphalt Llc Memphis Trumbull Asphalt, Memphis
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrogen sulfide, Polycyclic aromatic compounds, Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. Reports carcinogens. 55,068 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38113WNSCR2301C (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Sherwin-Williams Co, Memphis
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $3,220.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000374096 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8

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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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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