CAMERON, Mo. -- There are new developments in the mysterious cases of tumors in Cameron, Missouri as the
EPA says fertilizer used in four Missouri counties does not appear to cause brain cancer. But the agency is banning further use of the fertilizer for now.
The fertilizer was made from waste from a leather manufacturing factory. Dozens of people have been diagnosed with brain tumors in Cameron, Missouri which is about one hour northeast of Kansas City.
Tests of the soil from several Cameron farm fields did find
Chromium 6 which is a carcinogen. But the EPA says the levels are below hazardous leaving people in the town with a lot of questions.
Uncertainty still triggers tears for Mitsy Smith. Her dad died of a brain tumor in 1980 and, stil,l no one knows why.
"All the time, it's a hard way to watch somebody die," said Smith.
Less than 10,000 people live in Cameron, Missouri and 70 have reported being diagnosed with brain tumors 32 in 2008.
Lisa Monaghan opened Auto Exchange in Cameron three years ago. She said, "People are moving out of Cameron they're scared and as a business owner that affects my family."
Customers that stay discuss theories. The fertilizer, known here as sludge, was distributed to 116 farmers between 1983 and 2008.
But Mitsy Smith always thought sludge masked the true source of the tumors. She and rest the town continue a race for answers, knowing her father won't be here to see the finish.
“Somebody needs to answer for it but I don't know after all these years if there is anybody," said Smith
The EPA will conduct a second test later this month.
A public forum is scheduled for 6:30pm Tuesday July 7, 2009. It will be held in the Fulkerson Center at Leah Spratt Hall at the Missouri Western State University Campus in St. Joseph, Missouri.
