Ozone 8-hour 4th-highest daily max
Ozone 8-hour 4th-highest daily max in Daviess County reached 0.074 ppm in 2023, 6% above the EPA NAAQS of 0.07 ppm.
County · TRI 2024
Daviess County, Kentucky Pollution
10 top TRI facilities tracked here. PM2.5 annual mean (NAAQS 9 µg/m³ (annual)) fell meaningfully year over year (-33%). PM2.5 annual mean (NAAQS 9 µg/m³ (annual)) concentrations have more than halved since 2010.
FIPS 21059 · population 102,916
Anomaly engine
Notable Signals
Top facilities mapped
Where Chemicals Are Released In Daviess County
Each red dot is one of the top TRI facilities. Size reflects 2024 total releases. County boundary outlined in blue.
Pollutant pathways
Daviess County Pollutant Multi-Year Trends
PM2.5 annual mean (NAAQS 9 µg/m³ (annual))Health riskFine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They travel deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream — linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.
PM2.5 annual mean (NAAQS 9 µg/m³ (annual)) concentrations have more than halved since 2010.
PM2.5 24-hour 98th percentile (NAAQS 35 µg/m³ (24-hour))Health riskFine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They travel deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream — linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.
PM2.5 24-hour 98th percentile (NAAQS 35 µg/m³ (24-hour)) concentrations have more than halved since 2010.
Ozone 8-hour 4th-highest daily max (NAAQS 0.070 ppm (8-hour))Health riskGround-level ozone (smog) forms when vehicle and industrial emissions react in sunlight. Inflames the airways, triggers asthma attacks, and worsens heart and lung disease.
Ozone 8-hour 4th-highest daily max (NAAQS 0.070 ppm (8-hour)) concentrations are roughly unchanged from 2010.
NO₂ annual mean (NAAQS 53 ppb (annual))Health riskA tailpipe and combustion gas. Concentrates near busy roads and industrial sites; raises risk of airway inflammation, asthma, and lower respiratory infections in children.
NO₂ annual mean (NAAQS 53 ppb (annual)) concentrations have fallen 50% since 2010.
Lifetime cancer risk all pollutants (100 in a million (EPA elevated threshold))Health riskEPA-modeled added cancer cases per million residents from a lifetime of breathing local air toxics. EPA flags 100-in-a-million as elevated.
Single-vintage exposure modeling — EPA cadence is multi-year, so no trend line yet.
Formaldehyde ambient mean (0.077 µg/m³ (1-in-a-million URE))Health riskAn air toxic emitted by refineries, wood products, and combustion. EPA classifies it as a known human carcinogen — long-term inhalation raises cancer risk.
Single-vintage exposure modeling — EPA cadence is multi-year, so no trend line yet.
Benzene ambient mean (0.13 µg/m³ (1-in-a-million URE))Health riskAn air toxic from gasoline, refineries, and tobacco smoke. A known human carcinogen — chronic exposure is linked to leukemia and other blood cancers.
Single-vintage exposure modeling — EPA cadence is multi-year, so no trend line yet.
TRI air releases (5.1 fugitive + 5.2 stack)Health riskToxic chemicals reported by industrial facilities as released into the air — fugitive leaks plus smokestack emissions. Higher pounds means more inhaled exposure for nearby residents.
TRI air releases (5.1 fugitive + 5.2 stack) concentrations have fallen 49% since 2010.
TRI water releases (5.3)Health riskToxic chemicals reported by industrial facilities as discharged to surface waters (rivers, lakes, the ocean). Affects fishing, recreation, and downstream drinking-water intakes.
TRI water releases (5.3) concentrations have fallen 22% since 2010.
TRI land + off-site releasesHealth riskToxic chemicals released to land on-site or transferred off-site for disposal — landfills, deep-well injection, and similar. Risks groundwater contamination over time.
TRI land + off-site releases concentrations have more than halved since 2010.
Greenhouse gases (GHGRP large emitters, through 2023)Health riskGreenhouse gases reported by large industrial emitters under EPA's GHGRP, in metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. Drives climate warming and the heat-related health effects that follow.
Greenhouse gases (GHGRP large emitters, through 2023) concentrations have more than halved since 2010.
Top facilities · 2024
Where The Chemical Releases Are Concentrated
| Facility | City | Top chemical | Total releases | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owensboro Grain CO LLCCargill INC | Owensboro | n-HexaneHealth riskPeripheral neurotoxin. Chronic exposure causes numbness and paralysis in the extremities. (ATSDR) | 394k lb | +91% |
| Kimberly-Clark Corp Owensboro OperationsKimberly-Clark CORP | Owensboro | Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution)Health riskDrinking-water nitrate causes methemoglobinemia ('blue-baby syndrome') in infants; EPA MCL is 10 mg/L as N. (EPA) | 371k lb | +13% |
| Daramic LLCPolypore International LP | Owensboro | n-HexaneHealth riskPeripheral neurotoxin. Chronic exposure causes numbness and paralysis in the extremities. (ATSDR) | 158k lb | -39% |
| Dart Polymers INCDart Container CORP | Owensboro | StyreneHealth riskIARC Group 2A probable carcinogen; central-nervous-system effects from inhalation. (IARC, EPA) | 52k lb | +7% |
| Owensboro Grain Biodiesel LLCCargill INC | Owensboro | MethanolHealth riskAcutely toxic if ingested or inhaled. Metabolizes to formaldehyde and formic acid, causing blindness and metabolic acidosis. (EPA) | 19k lb | +0% |
| Valor LLCValor LLC | Owensboro | Xylene (mixed isomers)Health riskEye, skin, and respiratory irritant; central-nervous-system effects from chronic exposure. (EPA) | 17k lb | +25% |
| Owensboro Specialty Polymers INCMilliken & Co | Owensboro | Vinylidene chloride | 10k lb | -10% |
| Hausner Hard-Chrome Of KentuckyHausner Hard-Chrome INC | Owensboro | Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region)Health riskHexavalent chromium (Cr-VI) is an IARC Group 1 carcinogen via inhalation, causing lung cancer; trivalent chromium is far less toxic. (IARC, EPA) | 8k lb | -11% |
| Modern Welding CO Of Owensboro INCModern Welding Co INC | Owensboro | StyreneHealth riskIARC Group 2A probable carcinogen; central-nervous-system effects from inhalation. (IARC, EPA) | 6k lb | -0% |
| Hines Precision INC. | Philpot | TetrachloroethyleneHealth riskIARC Group 2A probable carcinogen; central-nervous-system effects; common dry-cleaning solvent. (IARC, EPA) | 4k lb | +42% |
Superfund / NPL sites
Federal Cleanup Sites In Daviess County
Sites on EPA's Superfund National Priorities List, plus deleted sites whose cleanup objectives EPA has finalized. Federal-facility sites (defense, DOE, etc.) are flagged separately. Each link routes to a per-site page.
| Site | City | Status | Federal facility | Primary contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green River Disposal, Inc. | Maceo | NPL FINAL | No | 2,4-Dimethylphenol |
Equity context · ACS 2018-2022 · USEPA-clone EJ disparity
Who Lives In Daviess County
All block groups in Daviess County County, KY: 102,916 residents. County disparity score for pm2.5 (fine particulate) sits below the reference (57). Why we surface this →
14.0%
Low-income
13.4%
People of color
7.1%
Under age 5
17.2%
Over age 64
- PM2.5 (fine particulate)Health riskFine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They travel deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream — linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and premature death.57near the national median
- OzoneHealth riskGround-level ozone (smog) inflames the airways. Even short exposures trigger asthma attacks and worsen chronic lung and heart disease.62above the national median
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)Health riskA tailpipe and combustion gas. Concentrates near busy roads and industrial sites; raises risk of airway inflammation, asthma, and lower respiratory infections in children.52near the national median
- Diesel particulateHealth riskSoot from diesel engines (trucks, trains, ports, construction). EPA classifies it as a likely human carcinogen and a major driver of childhood asthma near freight corridors.38below the national median
- Toxic releases (RSEI)Health riskEPA's Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators score — weights TRI chemical releases by toxicity, where they go, and how many people are nearby. Higher means greater modeled cancer and chronic-health risk.99in the highest 5% nationally
- Traffic proximityHealth riskPopulation-weighted distance to high-volume roads. Living close to heavy traffic raises exposure to PM2.5, NO₂, and diesel exhaust — and the cardiovascular and asthma risks that follow.30below the national median
- Lead-paint risk (pre-1960 housing)Health riskShare of housing built before 1960, when lead-based paint was common. Dust from deteriorating paint is the leading cause of childhood lead poisoning, which permanently impairs cognitive development.61above the national median
- Superfund site proximityHealth riskPopulation-weighted distance to NPL Superfund sites — the most contaminated waste sites in the country. Nearby groundwater, soil, and air can carry industrial solvents, metals, and other long-lived contaminants.56near the national median
- RMP-facility proximityHealth riskDistance to facilities holding chemicals at quantities large enough to require an EPA Risk Management Plan (refineries, fertilizer plants, etc.). These pose acute exposure risk during accidental releases.89in the highest 20% nationally
- Hazardous-waste site proximityHealth riskDistance to RCRA hazardous-waste handlers (treatment, storage, disposal facilities). Indicates potential exposure to industrial chemicals in air, soil, and groundwater.58near the national median
- Underground storage tanksHealth riskDensity of underground tanks (gasoline, heating oil, industrial fluids). Leaking tanks are a leading source of benzene and other volatile organic compounds in groundwater drinking-water supplies.63above the national median
- NPDES wastewater proximityHealth riskDistance to permitted industrial wastewater dischargers. Closer proximity raises exposure to pollutants released into surface waters used for fishing, recreation, and downstream drinking-water intakes.72above the national median
- Drinking-water non-complianceHealth riskEPA score for public water systems with health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations. Higher means more residents on systems that recently exceeded safe limits for contaminants like lead, arsenic, or nitrate.76above the national median
| Indicator | Disparity score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (fine particulate) | 57 | below the reference |
| Ozone | 56 | below the reference |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) | 53 | below the reference |
| Diesel particulate | 41 | well below the reference |
| Toxic releases (RSEI) | 96 | near the reference |
| Traffic proximity | 31 | well below the reference |
| Lead-paint risk (pre-1960 housing) | 49 | well below the reference |
| Superfund site proximity | 4 | well below the reference |
| RMP-facility proximity | 83 | below the reference |
| Hazardous-waste site proximity | 56 | below the reference |
| Underground storage tanks | 55 | below the reference |
| NPDES wastewater proximity | 55 | below the reference |
| Drinking-water non-compliance | 0 | well below the reference |
Source: Census ACS 2018-2022 (5-year) + USEPA-clone EJ blockgroup stats (raw indicators + EJ disparity mirror).
Browse
All 5 Daviess County Cities With TRI Data
Pollution trends and TRI 2024 pages for every tracked city in this county. Alphabetical.
Sources.
- EPA Toxics Release Inventory · retrieved 2026-05-07.
All sources are federal public-domain datasets under 17 USC §105. We aggregate but do not relabel; the underlying observations remain attributable to EPA.