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White County, Tennessee: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in White County is 175.5 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 1.7 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 152 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (68), Rail grade crossing (35), Air permit holder (minor source) (19). 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: 35.9413, -85.4567.

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 White County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	51.5	30.2	1.71xSignificant	42.2 to 62.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	Deaths	8.9	5.7	1.56x	4.9 to 15	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	74.6	51.8	1.44xSignificant	63.2 to 87.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	15.5	11.3	1.37x	10.5 to 22.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	17.8	13.9	1.28x	12.5 to 24.9	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	175.5	143.2	1.23xSignificant	157.8 to 194.9	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	17.4	14.5	1.2x	11.4 to 25.4	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	21.2	17.9	1.18x	14.9 to 29.5	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	22.1	18.7	1.18x	16 to 30	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	14.5	13	1.12x	8.7 to 22.7	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25.3	23.8	1.06x	18.4 to 34.1	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	479.1	453.4	1.06x	447.8 to 512.3	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.1	18.5	1.03x	13.5 to 26.7	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 White County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	13,271.8	9,842.6	+35%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.6	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	72.8	59.8	+22%	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	122.6	96.9	+26%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	56.3	28.6	+97%	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.

Formaldehyde19.35 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.87 per million
Acetaldehyde1.99 per million
Benzene0.8 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit68
Rail grade crossing35
Air permit holder (minor source)19
Gas station (mapped facility)5
TRI reporting facility4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Brownfield property3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Public airport2
Small hazardous waste generator2
Scrapyard (mapped facility)2
Major air pollution source1
Commercial airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Heliport1
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.

Best Bath Systems Inc.-Rane A Div Of Best Bath, Sparta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Styrene. Reports carcinogens. 28,340 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 38583NRCMN155CH (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.9
Ltd Parts, Sparta
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $11,660.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004997291 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7
Sparta Electric And Public Works Dba Sparta Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sparta
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $4,515.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009787285 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
Tennetek Inc, Sparta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Copper And Copper Compounds, Zinc compounds, Aluminum (fume or dust). 3,991 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 3858WTNNTK1785S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Norcom, Inc., Sparta
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000375460 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.7
Tennetek Inc, Sparta
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070070867 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.6
Basf @ Sparta Distribution Center, Sparta
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $6,131.
EPA FRS registry ID 110032660608 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Ltd Parts, Sparta
Small hazardous waste generator. Penalties $11,660.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004997291 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Honeywell International Incorporated, Sparta
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000496847 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Ltd Parts, Sparta
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $11,660.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004997291 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Norcom, Inc., Sparta
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000375460 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
New West Plant Number 1, Sparta
Air permit holder (minor source). Penalties $15,216.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001129145 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Hormann Llc-Manufacturing Facility, Sparta
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070248758 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Philips Professional Luminaries R&D Building, Sparta
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071970718 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Philips Professional Luminaries, Sparta
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071971481 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Mcbride Property (Bil), Sparta
Brownfield property.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071979729 (U.S. EPA Brownfields (ACRES)) Agency record
Severity 3
Fleetguard Distribution Center, Sparta
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110015587621 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Basf Corporation-Sparta Tn, Sparta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper compounds, Antimony compounds, Zinc compounds.
TRI facility ID 38583GPLST510IR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Bbb Industries, Sparta
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates.
TRI facility ID 38583LTDPR5538S (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
The Bluffs Subdivision, Sparta
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,368.
EPA FRS registry ID 110072150644 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Thomas Industries Inc Benjamin Div, Sparta
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110004960285 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2
Upper Cumberland Rgnl, Sparta
Commercial airport. O.
Record ID SRB (FAA / U.S. DOT)
Severity 2
Wastewater Plant
Wastewater plant (mapped facility). Mapped facility presence only; no compliance or exposure measurements.
Record ID way/1222071264 (OpenStreetMap contributors) Agency record
Severity 2
Honeywell International Incorporated, Sparta
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000496847 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 1.8
Thk Rhythm North America Company, Ltd, Sparta
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110005008384 (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.

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for White 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 White 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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