CAMERON, Mo. — Talk of tumors confounded Cameron residents as well as state and federal officials Tuesday.

Rumors of residents having brain tumors, perhaps as many as nine to 12 people, are circulating in the community. The rumors haven’t been verified, and at this time, there’s nothing to worry about in Cameron, said Dennis Spurling, from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, bureau of health promotion.

State Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, said Tuesday that he personally knows of 12 brain tumor cases, and the norm is one per 10,000 people.

Cameron has a population of about 6,500 residents.

On the surface, it seems that if there are this many cases it would be a high number, Mr. Spurling said. Health officials associated with the Cancer Inquiry Committee have started seeking official information.

The one thing each patient has in common appeared to be water, Mr. Guest said. He asked the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to test Cameron’s water.

The water and the sediments are being tested for pollutants, including pesticides, semi-volatile compounds and pollutant metals, said Larry Archer, a spokesman for the department.

People should know that Cameron is tested regularly and hasn’t violated the federal standards per the Clean Water Act, said Mr. Archer and Phil Lammers, Cameron’s city manager.

For the past 15 years, Cameron invested in improved filtration systems as well as working with farmers and sprayers to prevent and reduce chemical runoffs, Mr. Lammers said.

Residents contacted by the News-Press commonly questioned water as a possible source for the problems. However, resident Jack Clark said the water connection doesn’t add up.

“Frankly, I don’t perceive it to be the water, because (the tumors) would be wider spread,” throughout the community, he said.

Cameron Realtor Creighton Carroll said he’s not convinced it’s a “local thing” just yet.

“If they come back tomorrow and say ‘Yeah, there is something in the water,’ then I’ll stop drinking the water,” he said.

Results of the water test should be available later this week, Mr. Archer said.

Additional samples were taken and given to a private lab for a second analysis, Mr. Guest said. The representative plans to contact the Missouri Department of Corrections to see if any inmate deaths from natural causes could be caused by brain tumors.

Cameron residents were in a holding pattern Tuesday as they awaited official word. Meanwhile, they sifted through the rumors and the speculation about common causes for the brain tumors.

Marlene Bottorff, who has lived in Cameron for 50 years, has heard theories that connect the tumors to everything from the prisons to electromagnetic fields.

“I don’t feel afraid,” she said. “I feel concerned, but I don’t feel afraid.”

A Kansas City television station reported Monday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta was investigating the tumors.

“We’re not currently involved in that situation,” stated Sue Casteel, a Region 7 representative of the Center’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall@npgco.com. Jimmy Myers can be reached at jimmym@npgco.com.