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Mason County, West Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Mason County is 196.9 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.6 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 279 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by Rail grade crossing (129), NPDES wastewater discharge permit (95), Brownfield property (17). 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: 38.748, -81.9994.

How this county ranks in West Virginia

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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 Mason County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	New cases	96	51.8	1.85xSignificant	83 to 110.9	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	49.8	30.2	1.65xSignificant	40.7 to 60.8	2020-2024
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	26.6	17.9	1.49xSignificant	18.8 to 36.8	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	196.9	143.2	1.38xSignificant	177.5 to 218.1	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	25.7	18.7	1.37xSignificant	18.9 to 34.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	19.1	13.9	1.37x	12.9 to 27.5	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	13.6	11.3	1.2x	8.7 to 20.6	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	17.4	14.5	1.2x	12 to 24.9	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	532.5	453.4	1.17xSignificant	498.3 to 568.7	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	19.7	18.5	1.06x	13.4 to 28.2	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	24.5	23.8	1.03x	17.2 to 34.2	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 Mason County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	15,004	9,842.6	+52%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.1	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	n/a	59.8	n/a	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	158.8	96.9	+64%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	94.1	28.6	+229%	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.

Formaldehyde19.81 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.93 per million
Acetaldehyde2.08 per million
Ethylene Oxide1.82 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

Rail grade crossing129
NPDES wastewater discharge permit95
Brownfield property17
Small hazardous waste generator5
Major air pollution source4
TRI reporting facility4
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)4
Air permit holder (minor source)3
Gas station (mapped facility)3
Large greenhouse gas emitter3
Large hazardous waste generator3
Heliport2
EPA air quality monitor1
Airfield1
Public airport1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Coal power plant1
Superfund (NPL) site1
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.

West Virginia Ordnance (USARMY), Point Pleasant
Superfund (NPL) site. NPL Site.
EPA site ID WVD980713036 (U.S. EPA Superfund (SEMS/NPL)) Agency record
Severity 10
Felman Production Inc, Letart
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Manganese And Manganese Compounds, Manganese compounds, Lead And Lead Compounds, Polycyclic aromatic compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 8,222,704 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 25265FLMNPUSRT6 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.8
Felman Production, Inc., Letart
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $581,546.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045453031 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 9.8
Mountaineer Plant, New Haven
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Sulfuric 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)), Vanadium compounds, Manganese compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 3,877,702 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 25265MNTNRRTE33 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.6
Apg Polytech Llc, Apple Grove
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1,4-Dioxane, Ethylene glycol, Acetaldehyde, Ammonia and 2 more. Reports carcinogens. 345,265 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 25502GDYRTSTRT2 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Apg Polytech, Llc, Apple Grove Plant, Apple Grove
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $30,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000585956 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.4
Icl-Ip America Inc, Gallipolis Ferry
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: 1,2-Dichloropropane, Phenol, Propylene oxide, Ammonia and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 53,083 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 25515KZCHMSTATE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.1
Icl-North America Inc - Gallipolis Ferry Plant, Gallipolis Ferry
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $63,368.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000607772 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.5
Mountaineer, New Haven
Coal power plant.
Record ID 6264 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 7.3
American Electric Power Mountaineer Plant, New Haven
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110067041837 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.7
Felman Production, Inc., Letart
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $581,546.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045453031 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6
Apg Polytech, Llc, Apple Grove Plant, Apple Grove
Major air pollution source. Penalties $30,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000585956 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Felman Production, Inc., Letart
Large greenhouse gas emitter. Penalties $581,546.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045453031 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Apg Polytech, Llc, Apple Grove Plant, Apple Grove
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $30,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000585956 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Icl-North America Inc - Gallipolis Ferry Plant, Gallipolis Ferry
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $63,368.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000607772 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Ashton Elem., Ashton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012292553 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Felman Production, Inc., Letart
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $581,546.
EPA FRS registry ID 110045453031 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Point Pleasant Wastewater Treatment Plant, Point Pleasant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064241832 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Oldtown Campground, Point Pleasant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010849724 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Point Pleasant Wtp, Point Pleasant
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010869024 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Town Of Leon Wastewater Treatment & Collection System, Leon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046128481 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Zuspan'S Recycling, West Columbia
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110058290004 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Versailles Limited Liability Company, Mason
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069599223 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
River'S Edge Campground, Glenwood
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010880831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Preparation Plant No. 1/ Refuse Disposal Area No. 1, New Haven
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069994816 (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.

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

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Mason County

West 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 Mason County, and their findings.
West 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.
West Virginia health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
West 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.
West 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.

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