McCracken County, KY

ZIP 42001

In ZIP 42001, 6 of the 12 things we check have at least one part graded D or F.

• Drinking water: Paducah Water Works has 2 contaminants at or over an EPA legal limit; 16 contaminants are above health goals, led by pfos at 6× California’s Public Health Goal.
• Nearest Superfund site: Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (usdoe), 4.1 miles away.
• Largest share of modeled toxic air from industry: Westlake Vinyls Inc (31%), mostly diethyl sulfate.
• Fine particles (PM2.5) average 7.3 µg/m³; the WHO guideline is 5 and the EPA annual standard is 9.
• About 52,233 kg of agricultural pesticides are applied in the county each year.

Grades for ZIP 42001

• Superfund sites nearbyA to D
• Factories and industrial sitesB to C
• Oil and gas wellsA to C
• Parks and nature nearbyC to D
• Air qualityB to C
• Drinking water qualityD to F
• Pesticide useD to F
• Neighborhood health statusD to F
• Past wildfire impactsA
• Past flood impactsA
• Noise levelsA to D
• Radiation signalsC

Based on 12 census tracts · compiled September 10, 2026 · how each grade works and its sources

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