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Douglas County, Wisconsin: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Douglas County is 164.7 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Non-Hodgkin lymphoma deaths at 1.6 times the U.S. rate and Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 362 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (183), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (77), Gas station (mapped facility) (26). One correctional facility operates 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 20 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: 46.4465, -91.9222.

How this county ranks in Wisconsin

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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 Douglas County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	Deaths	7.9	4.8	1.65xSignificant	5.1 to 12	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	New cases	75.1	51.8	1.45xSignificant	66 to 85.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	26.2	18.5	1.42xSignificant	20.7 to 32.9	2019-2023
Esophagus	Deaths	5.2	3.7	1.41x	3 to 8.7	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	41.2	30.2	1.36xSignificant	34.6 to 49	2020-2024
Pancreas	New cases	18	13.9	1.29x	13.5 to 23.6	2019-2023
Thyroid	New cases	16.4	13	1.26x	11.3 to 22.9	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.2	6.6	1.24x	5.4 to 12.2	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	164.7	143.2	1.15xSignificant	150.7 to 179.9	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	27	23.8	1.13x	20.7 to 34.6	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	9.6	8.7	1.1x	6.3 to 14.2	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	12.3	11.3	1.09x	8.7 to 17	2020-2024
Esophagus	New cases	5	4.6	1.09x	2.9 to 8.3	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	20.3	18.7	1.09x	15.5 to 26.2	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.6	14.5	1.08x	11.2 to 21.3	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	479.9	453.4	1.06xSignificant	454.7 to 506.1	2019-2023
Brain & nervous system	Deaths	4.6	4.4	1.05x	2.5 to 7.9	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	16.9	17.9	0.94x	12.4 to 22.6	2019-2023
Stomach	New cases	6.1	6.6	0.92x	3.5 to 10.1	2019-2023
Leukemia	Deaths	5	5.7	0.88x	2.8 to 8.5	2020-2024
Brain & nervous system	New cases	5.3	6.2	0.85x	3.1 to 8.8	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 Douglas County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,763.2	9,842.6	-11%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	76.4	75.3	+2%	years
Child mortality	65.7	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	94.8	96.9	-2%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	30.3	28.6	+6%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 20 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde11.73 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride3.01 per million
Benzene1.31 per million
Acetaldehyde1.15 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing183
NPDES wastewater discharge permit77
Gas station (mapped facility)26
Hazardous waste transporter18
Small hazardous waste generator8
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)7
Air permit holder (minor source)6
Major air pollution source5
TRI reporting facility5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)5
Landfill (mapped facility)4
Brownfield property3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Public airport2
Commercial airport2
Large greenhouse gas emitter2
Oil-fired power plant2
Airfield1
Correctional facility (prison or jail)1
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.

Graymont (Wi) Llc, Superior
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007346229 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.5
Superior Refinery Co., Superior
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000422962 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.1
Superior Refining Co Llc, Superior
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: n-Hexane, Xylene (mixed isomers), Toluene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 662,820 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 54880MRPHY24THA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9
Graymont (Wi) Inc., Superior
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (acid aerosols including mists, vapors, gas, fog, and other airborne forms of any particle size), Lead And Lead Compounds. 1,040,005 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 54880CLMCRHILLA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Charter Next Generation - Superior, Superior
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ozone. 1,021,765 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5488WCHRTR191WI (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 7.6
Graymont (Wi) Llc, Superior
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007346229 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Charter Next Generation, Inc, Superior
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071956480 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.4
Genesis Attachments Llc, Superior
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese, Nickel, Chromium. Reports carcinogens. 158 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 54880GNSSQ1000G (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Superior Refinery Co., Superior
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000422962 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Graymont (Wi) Llc, Superior
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007346229 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Amsoil Inc-Amsoil Center, Superior
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, Ethylene glycol, Zinc compounds. 5,848 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 5488WMSLNC111SU (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.9
Superior Refinery Co., Superior
Large hazardous waste generator.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000422962 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Superior Refinery Co., Superior
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000422962 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Graymont (Wi) Llc, Superior
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007346229 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Amsoil Inc - Amsoil Center, Superior
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110032663669 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Superior Refinery Co., Superior
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000422962 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
City Of Superior Wastewater Div. Of Public Works, Superior
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000579017 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Genesis Attachments, Superior
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110005531013 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.7
Solon Springs Village Of, Solon Springs
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110016874970 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Lake Nebagamon Village Of, Brule
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070007336 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Brule Sanitary District #1, Brule
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070025042 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Gordon Sanitary District 1, Gordon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070923983 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Solon Diesel, Solon Springs
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 7058 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Gordon, Gordon
Oil-fired power plant.
Record ID 3976 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 4
Superior Village Of, Superior
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010886979 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4

Correctional facilities

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

Gordon Correctional Center
EPA FRS registry ID
110052049154
Water system
WI8160142
Health-based violations
1 all time, 0 in 5 years
All violations
16
Contaminants cited
Lead and Copper Rule
Wastewater permit
None on record
EPA detailed facility report

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Douglas County

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