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Pleasants County, West Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Pleasants County is 224.7 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. The strongest disease signals are Lung & bronchus deaths at 2 times the U.S. rate. Federal databases place 136 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (59), Rail grade crossing (36), Air permit holder (minor source) (8). 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: 39.3726, -81.1557.

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 Pleasants County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	61.9	30.2	2.05xSignificant	42.4 to 88.5	2020-2024
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	41.3	23.8	1.74xSignificant	25.4 to 64.7	2019-2023
Lung & bronchus	New cases	83.4	51.8	1.61xSignificant	61.4 to 112.1	2019-2023
All cancer	Deaths	224.7	143.2	1.57xSignificant	185 to 271.3	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	564.8	453.4	1.25xSignificant	500.2 to 636.2	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 Pleasants County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	8,032.6	9,842.6	-18%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	74.8	75.3	-1%	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	85.1	96.9	-12%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	n/a	28.6	n/a	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.

Formaldehyde18.61 per million
Benzene3.22 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.92 per million
Acetaldehyde1.83 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

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

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

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

NPDES wastewater discharge permit59
Rail grade crossing36
Air permit holder (minor source)8
Major air pollution source5
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)5
TRI reporting facility4
Large greenhouse gas emitter3
Small hazardous waste generator3
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)3
Gas station (mapped facility)2
Large hazardous waste generator2
Airfield1
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)1
Landfill (mapped facility)1
Coal power plant1
Hydroelectric plant1
Gas power 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.

Pleasants Power Station, Willow Island
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)), Barium And Barium Compounds, Vanadium compounds and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 8,294,072 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26134PLSNTNO1PO (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.8
Cytec Industries Inc, Willow Island
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Toluene, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Methanol and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 1,551,655 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26190MRCNCSTRT2 (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 9.3
Allnex Usa Inc, Belmont
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Methanol, Ammonia, N,N-Dimethylformamide. Reports carcinogens. 395,064 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2613WLLNXS252HE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 8.8
Cytec Industries, Inc., Willow Island, Willow Island
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8.5
Allnex Usa Inc, Belmont
TRI reporting facility. Penalties $68,730.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060257742 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 8
Pleasants Power Station, Willow Island
Coal power plant.
Record ID 6004 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Severity 7.3
Pleasants Llc, Pleasants Power Station, Willow Island
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110038775536 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.5
Phibro Animal Health Corp, Willow Island
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Ammonia. 22,100 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26134MRCNC1DUGG (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.3
Axens N.A. Inc., Belmont
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Nitric acid. 3,876 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26134CRTRN74CAT (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.8
Allegheny Energy Pleasants Power Station, Belmont
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020047554 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Cytec Industries, Inc., Willow Island, Willow Island
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Axens North America, Inc, Belmont
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110056954167 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.4
Allegheny Energy Pleasants Power Station, Belmont
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020047554 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Allnex Usa Inc, Belmont
Major air pollution source. Penalties $68,730.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060257742 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Cytec Industries, Inc., Willow Island, Willow Island
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5
Allegheny Energy Pleasants Power Station, Belmont
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110020047554 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Allnex Usa Inc, Belmont
Large hazardous waste generator. Penalties $68,730.
EPA FRS registry ID 110060257742 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.8
Cytec Industries, Inc., Willow Island, Willow Island
Large greenhouse gas emitter.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344850 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.5
Saint Marys-Treatment Plant, St. Marys
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010873545 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Cloverdale Estates, St. Marys
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010880886 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Pleasants Co - Belmont Storage, Belmont
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110037520028 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Eph116 102 (P2 Well Line), Friendly
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070818514 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Eph116_100, 105, 104, 103, 102 Lines, Friendly
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070833160 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Belmont Town Of, Belmont
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010866802 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5
St Mary'S City Of, Saint Marys
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010866893 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5

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 Pleasants 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 Pleasants 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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