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Nicholas County, West Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Nicholas County is 159.6 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 1.4 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 344 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (232), Rail grade crossing (51), Gas station (mapped facility) (15). 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: 38.3166, -80.8242.

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 Nicholas County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	9.5	6.6	1.44x	5.2 to 16.1	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	43	30.2	1.42xSignificant	34.5 to 53.5	2020-2024
Leukemia	New cases	19.4	14.5	1.34x	13.3 to 27.6	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	64.1	51.8	1.24xSignificant	53.4 to 76.7	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	20.1	17.9	1.12x	14.1 to 28.3	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	159.6	143.2	1.11x	141.9 to 179.2	2020-2024
Thyroid	New cases	14.1	13	1.08x	8.4 to 22.4	2019-2023
All cancer	New cases	489.4	453.4	1.08xSignificant	456.5 to 524.4	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	New cases	8.6	8.7	0.99x	5.1 to 14.1	2019-2023
Bladder	New cases	18	18.7	0.96x	12.3 to 25.8	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	22.6	23.8	0.95x	15.8 to 31.7	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	10.9	13.9	0.78x	6.5 to 17.6	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	8.3	11.3	0.73x	4.7 to 14.1	2020-2024
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	11.6	18.5	0.63x	7 to 18.5	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 Nicholas County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	14,496.8	9,842.6	+47%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	71.7	75.3	-5%	years
Child mortality	93.1	59.8	+56%	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	157	96.9	+62%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	52.1	28.6	+82%	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.

Formaldehyde14.03 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.8 per million
Acetaldehyde1.3 per million
Benzene0.77 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit232
Rail grade crossing51
Gas station (mapped facility)15
Brownfield property8
Air permit holder (minor source)7
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)6
Small hazardous waste generator6
Major air pollution source3
TRI reporting facility3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Public airport2
Landfill (mapped facility)2
Commercial airport1
Heliport1
Hydroelectric 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.

Smr Technologies Inc, Fenwick
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Lead. Reports carcinogens. 58,972 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26202SMRTCSTARR (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.2
Smr Technologies Inc, Fenwick
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000586090 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 7.6
Columbia Forest Products Columbia West Virginia Corp, Craigsville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Lead. Reports carcinogens. 276 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26205CLMBW111CA (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.4
Jeld-Wen, Craigsville
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Diisocyanates, Certain glycol ethers. 13,644 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26205JLDWN600JE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Jeld-Wen, Craigsville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010870343 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Smr Technologies Inc, Fenwick
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000586090 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Summersville, City Of, Summersville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000875438 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Sugarcamp Branch Coal Refuse Disposal Facility, Summersville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $5,687.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069998020 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Columbia Forest Products Columbia West Virginia Corp, Craigsville
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012706777 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Smr Technologies Inc, Fenwick
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000586090 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Tioga Auto Parts Site #1, Tioga
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010850926 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Craigsville Psd, Craigsville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010864644 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Mt. Lookout Mhp, Summersville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $15,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010881929 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Kathleen & John Faltis Child Shelter, Muddlety
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012292492 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Panther Creek Elementary School, Nettie
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110046128463 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Store No. 53 - Birch River, Birch River
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110063723029 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Preparation Plant, Summersville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000604123 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Green Valley Coal Co, Leivasy
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000775359 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Richwood City Of, Richwood
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010851649 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Lilly Fork Surface Mine, Summersville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010857180 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Summerville Hydroelectric Project, Summerville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010857894 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Deep Mine # 4, Muddlety
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010859302 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Power Mountain Haulroad, Summersville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010862165 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Tioga Plant Complex, Tioga
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010865750 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Prep. Plant #1, Deep Holllow Refuse Area, Bickmore
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010866125 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3

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 Nicholas 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 Nicholas 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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