Environmental Law Blog

Last month, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined forces to uncover the source of suspicious brain tumors found in residents of a local Missouri town.

According to local officials, 11 Cameron residents have been diagnosed with benign brain tumors since 2002, but that number could be three to four times as much, as residents rush to medical professionals for signs of asymptomatic brain tumors.

MDNR, DHSS, and EPA have been working together to collect groundwater, drinking water, and soil samples from land and water reserves in and around the small community located just north of St. Joseph. Officials focused their testing on the land on and around the former Rockwool plant, which closed more than 20 years ago. Rockwool converted iron into fiber insulation for buildings and then dumped the residue from the manufacturing process onto the land surrounding the plant and at a quarry a few miles away.

Thus far, drinking water tests have come back negative for carcinogens, but groundwater and soil samples found on and around the former Rockwool plant site have tested positive for higher-than-normal levels of arsenic and lead. Officials maintain that, although the levels are higher than they would like to see them, they are not hazardous to health. In fact, Cameron's public drinking water facility has passed its drinking water tests for most, if not all, of the past 10 years.

As State and Federal officials struggle to discern the source of the brain tumors in Cameron, citizens are left to speculate about the cause of these benign brain tumors. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available to us. In the meantime, if you have a similar or completely different environmental compliant, please fill out the Attorney General's environmental complaint form. The link is to your left.