News Release 476

 MEDIA ADVISORY:
STATE, FEDERAL AGENCIES TO UPDATE PUBLIC ON
CAMERON ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION

Community meeting scheduled for Aug. 21

Volume 36-476

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

AUG. 12, 2008

WHO:      Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, EPA Region 7, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

WHAT:   Public meeting on environmental investigation in Cameron

WHEN:    6:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 21

WHERE:  Cameron United Methodist Church, 201 N. Pine St., Cameron

WHY:  Representatives of state and federal agencies will be in Cameron next week to share information about a continuing environmental investigation and other information in response to public concerns about brain tumors in and around the community.

The meeting will focus on a discussion of results from recent testing of environmental samples collected by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and EPA Region 7 at the former Rockwool Industries site and other locations in Cameron.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services staff also will be present to discuss a health-based analysis of the environmental sampling results.  The Department of Health and Senior Services is also involved in a cancer inquiry from the Cameron area; however, data is still being gathered regarding cancer cases in the area. Results of that study are still being analyzed, and another public meeting will be scheduled to present the cancer inquiry results. Representatives from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will also attend the meeting.

The meeting will begin with a brief presentation of new information, with the balance of time devoted to allow attendees to visit one-on-one with agency representatives and ask questions.

The Department of Natural Resources has established a Web site at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/hwp/sfund/cameron.htm. The Department of Health and Senior Services Web site on Cameron is at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/CancerInquiry/CBCI.html.

The Department of Natural Resources can be reached by phone at 800-361-4827. For department news releases on the Web, visit http://www.dnr.mo.gov/pubs/communications.htm. For Department of Health and Senior Services news releases on the Web, visit http://www.dhss.mo.gov/NewsAndPublicNotices/index.html. EPA news releases on the Web are available at http://www.epa.gov/region07/news_events/index.htm.

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