VA / county FIPS 51033 / county research

Caroline County, Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Caroline County is 161.6 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 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 195 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (99), Gas station (mapped facility) (26), Air permit holder (minor source) (25). 3 correctional facilities operate in the county, at least one with health-based drinking water violations on record. 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: 38.0145, -77.3679.

How this county ranks in Virginia

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 Caroline County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	33.1	17.9	1.85xSignificant	25.3 to 42.8	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	73.9	51.8	1.43xSignificant	62.5 to 86.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41.3	30.2	1.37xSignificant	32.8 to 51.4	2020-2024
Pancreas	Deaths	13.8	11.3	1.22x	9.2 to 20.2	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	22.6	18.7	1.21x	16.3 to 30.6	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	22.1	18.5	1.19x	15.7 to 30.4	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	15.8	13.9	1.14x	10.7 to 22.7	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	161.6	143.2	1.13xSignificant	144.2 to 180.7	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	504.2	453.4	1.11xSignificant	472.5 to 537.6	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	14.3	13	1.1x	9 to 21.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.3	8.7	1.07x	5.5 to 14.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	23.1	23.8	0.97x	16.4 to 31.7	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	9	14.5	0.62x	5 to 14.9	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 Caroline County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,346.7	9,842.6	+5%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	74.9	75.3	-0%	years
Child mortality	45.9	59.8	-23%	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	107.3	96.9	+11%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	43.5	28.6	+52%	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.

Formaldehyde20.56 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.97 per million
Acetaldehyde2.07 per million
Ethylene Oxide1.25 per million

EPA Air Quality Index 2025

Monitored on 243 days: 235 good, 0 unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. Median AQI 35, peak 74.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit99
Gas station (mapped facility)26
Air permit holder (minor source)25
Rail grade crossing18
TRI reporting facility5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)5
Correctional facility (prison or jail)3
Small hazardous waste generator2
Major air pollution source1
EPA air quality monitor1
Public airport1
Commercial airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Dry cleaner (mapped facility)1
Large greenhouse gas emitter1
Large hazardous waste generator1
Industrial wastewater discharge1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Gas power plant1
Scrapyard (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.

Hoover Treated Wood Products Inc, Milford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Formaldehyde, Arsenic compounds, Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Copper compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,435 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 22514HVRTRCAROL (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Us Army Fort Ap Hill, Bowling Green
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Copper, Lead And Lead Compounds, Lead compounds, Nitroglycerin. 258,362 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 22427SRMYF18902 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.2
Us Army Fort Ap Hill Operations, Bowling Green
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001886674 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.1
Hoover Treated Wood Products Milford, Milford
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000492565 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Apg Mid-Atlantic - Milford, Milford
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $9,794.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001896440 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Ladysmith Combustion Turbine Station, Woodford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Polycyclic aromatic compounds, n-Hexane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Naphthalene. Reports carcinogens. 1 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 22580LDYSM863CE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.7
Hoover Treated Wood Products Milford, Milford
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000492565 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Caroline County Regional Sewage Treatment Plant, Ruther Glen
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010844211 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Jci Jones Chemicals Inc, Milford
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001896495 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Dominion Ladysmith Power Station, Woodford
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110032891850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Ladysmith, Woodford
Gas power plant.
Record ID 7839 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 3.8
Four Winds Campground Sewage Treatment Plant, Rappahannock Academy
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010914993 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.8
Dominion Ladysmith Power Station, Woodford
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110032891850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
Flying J Travel Plaza 749, Ruther Glen
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $18,725.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046427755 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.3
Oldcastle Apg Mid-Atlantic Milford Va, Milford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead And Lead Compounds.
TRI facility ID 22514MRCNS16326 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Us Army Fort Ap Hill Operations, Bowling Green
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001886674 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Lake Land Or Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ruther Glen
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009116036 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Woodford Estates Mhc Limited Liability Corporation, Woodford
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010914680 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3
Jci Jones Chemicals Inc., Milford
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chlorine.
TRI facility ID 22514JNSCHRT640 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 3
Hoover Treated Wood Products Milford, Milford
Small hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000492565 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Bowling Green Wastewater Treatment Plant, Bowling Green
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010916973 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.8
Apg Mid-Atlantic - Milford, Milford
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $9,794.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001896440 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Hill Mobile Home Park Sewage Treatment Plant, Bowling Green
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $48,254.
EPA FRS registry ID 110009117142 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Dominion Ladysmith Power Station, Woodford
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110032891850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5
Ladysmith Village-South River Section 2, Ruther Glen
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $21,786.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071662492 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 2.5

Correctional facilities

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

Doc Caroline Correctional Unit 2, Hanover
EPA FRS registry ID
110002032425
Wastewater permit
Yes, 4 quarters in noncompliance
EPA detailed facility report
Peumansend Creek Regional Jail
EPA FRS registry ID
110012820251
Water system
VA6033515
Health-based violations
4 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
41
Contaminants cited
Coliform (TCR)
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report
Caroline County Detention Facility, Bowling Green
EPA FRS registry ID
110071662235
Wastewater permit
Yes
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Caroline County

Virginia 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 Caroline County, and their findings.
Virginia vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
Virginia health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
Virginia 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.
Virginia 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 Caroline County View on the heat map All Virginia counties