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James Frasher, center, attends a town meeting Thursday night at the Goodrich Auditorium in Cameron, Mo. Mr. Frasher is one of an unknown number of Cameron residents who have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had a golf ball-sized tumor removed from his brain.

CAMERON, Mo. — About 200 people showed up to talk to Missouri officials Thursday night to see what’s causing a high number of brain tumors in their town.

A definitive number of cases hasn’t been determined, but Missouri Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, has said the number is at least 12.

The Department of Health and Senior Services didn’t want to provide any estimates Thursday on the number of tumor cases. Reluctantly, Dennis Spurling, a health official, said he’d estimate the number of people who’ve registered their cancer diagnosis to be in the low 20s.

Mr. Guest said the norm for brain tumors is one per 10,000 people.

“I’m concerned about the ‘42’ tumor cases I’ve heard about,” said Todd Nicholas, a Cameron resident.

The focus of citizen questioning centered on a known toxic waste site or “superfund” site — Rockwool Industries, three miles west of Cameron on Missouri Route A. The company manufactured insulation from 1974 until 1984.

Materials were left behind and some dumping occurred in a quarry three miles away in DeKalb County, said Julieann Warren, who is in charge of the Department of Natural Resources superfund investigations.

Loura Cook, an area resident, wasn’t happy that the department hadn’t tested wells nearby for runoff from the Rockwool site.

One of the tumor survivors was on hand Thursday for the Cameron meeting.

Earlier this year, James Frasher, a Cameron resident, checked himself into an area hospital. Tests incidental to a medical condition revealed a brain tumor, Mr. Frasher said from his wheel chair. The hospital removed a golf ball size tumor during a 13-hour operation.

Mr. Frasher contacted Mr. Guest when he learned others had tumors.

Mr. Guest believes there are tumor clusters in Hamilton, Lathrop, Lawson and Plattsburg too.

A planned investigation and sampling will begin July 14 at the Rockwool site. Surface and subsurface soil samples, waste rock, and groundwater samples if encountered will be taken.

Missouri officials say the water in Cameron is safe to drink.

Every month the water is tested for 10 bacteriological contaminants, every quarter the treatment process is tested and every year tests are conducted for synthetic and inorganic compounds, said Tracey Cashburn, a regional water officer with the Department of Natural Resources.

The citizens didn’t seem to buy the program that state officials wanted to sell.

“They are protecting their own little kingdoms,” said Jim Kline, who had a career building water systems and pumping stations all across Missouri.

Mrs. Cashburn said the department doesn’t conduct any random, unannounced testing of its own.

Mr. Guest sent water samples off to a private lab. The water appears to be safe to drink but there are some high levels of metal, Mr. Guest said. He is sending more water samples to another lab.

Jeannette Jackson-Thompson of the Missouri Cancer Registry said it’s important that anyone that has been diagnosed with cancer should register so the state can verify cancer clusters. To register go to http://mcr.umh.edu/ or call (800) 392-2829.

Members of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services also attended the meeting.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall@npgco.com.