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The media converge on Brian Streeter as he asks a question Thursday night at a community meeting in Cameron, Mo. State officials held the meeting to discuss results from testing done in the Cameron area.

CAMERON, Mo. — Many of the more than 200 people who gathered Thursday evening didn’t like state officials’ news that there’s still no answer to two of the community’s big questions: What’s causing brain tumors here? Are there more brain tumors here than normal?

Soil and water testing from areas including the drinking water supply and the site of the former Rockwool Industries insulation plant have shown no health threats, officials said.

Officials with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Health and Senior Services and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry presented these most recent findings in the Cameron area brain tumor investigation. The meeting was in the Cameron United Methodist Church.

Residents who spoke during the meeting questioned the thoroughness of the officials’ investigation and emphasized that more studies need to be done.

Kathy Hughey, who grew up in Cameron and now lives in Lee’s Summit, Mo., spoke of several family members in the area who have either died or suffered from tumors. She said the investigation can’t stop with Rockwool. It needs to cover more parts of Cameron and look beyond recent years, she said.

“There is something that has been here for years,” Ms. Hughey said.

State officials stressed that they are not closing the book on Cameron. In upcoming weeks, the EPA will test tap water in at least seven homes of individuals diagnosed with tumors. The officials said they are open to other further testing.

“We’re here for answers, too,” said John Askew, regional administrator with the EPA. “We’re all looking for answers.”

Health officials said that the high levels of lead and arsenic found in some soil samples at the former insulation plant site and at a nearby quarry pose no health threat for two reasons. One, while the levels raised a red flag, they were not to the health threat level. And two, there’s no proof that the metals reached people through ingestion, inhalation or skin contact.

“You would really have to be on that Rockwool site eating little bits of the soil on those specific sample areas every day in order to have a health risk,” said Cherri Baysinger with the state health department.

State agencies began the Cameron investigation in the spring following community concerns about the number of brain tumors and possible environmental factors.

The state health department and the Missouri Cancer Registry are in the process of confirming at least 68 reports from individuals who say they’ve lived in the Cameron area at one time and have had a brain tumor at some point and time. About 9,000 people live in Cameron. Nationally, about one person per 10,000 is diagnosed with a brain tumor each year.

In September, an answer on whether there is a brain tumor cluster in the area could come.

Thursday’s meeting attracted several local and state politicians and a swarm of local and Kansas City-based media. In addition, at least one Kansas City attorney was handing out business cards to outspoken residents.

Many residents just hope answers come soon. Joyce Lee is one of those residents.

A few of her friends have brain tumors. Her good friend, Karen Kemper, died in May from complications related to a brain tumor.

“I don’t think we can ever find out enough. There’s no such thing as too much information. The unknown is so scary,” Ms. Lee said.

Nancy Hull can be reached

at nancyhull@npgco.com