KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
—
The Missouri Cancer Advisory Inquiry Committee met Wednesday to discuss the health concerns at Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty. They committee decided not to open an inquiry about the health concerns because they are waiting for more test results from the school.
Some parents are waiting for answers.
“It’s stressful,” said Tina Sun, mother of three children who have attended the elementary school the past two years.
“You can be exposed to something and then have symptoms much later in life,” Sun said.

There are concerns about a cancer cluster in the school. Sun said she fears for the future and wonders about the past.
She says one of her sons often felt ill while attending Warren Hills Elementary.
“I kept saying, ‘I think something at the school is making him sick,"' Sun said.
She hopes new test results will ease her concerns.
“There has to be something they're missing,” Sun said.
The Missouri Cancer Advisory Inquiry Committee is also waiting for new data to vote on opening an inquiry.

Clay County Health Center reached out to the committee.
CCHC requested an extension of the cancer cluster investigation that was carried out in 2022. The goal of the latest request is to determine if the perceived cancer excess is real.
Missouri Cancer Advisory Inquiry Committee helps communities explore the nature of their cancer concerns, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Operations Manager Jim Pruitt.
He says they didn't conduct the cancer inquiry in 2022.
This time, the committee said they want to review new test results — which should be available this summer — before making a decision.
During the meeting, the committee discussed results from tests already done.
“We have not identified any detections of concern,” said Michelle Hartman with the Health and Risk Assessment Program at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
The committee also discussed breast cancer incidence rates.

They say the incidence rates for Clay County have varied throughout the years, with some years being statistically different or higher than the state’s rate, while in other years, "no statistical significance was observed."

Senior Epidemiologist Joseline Hernandez explained the variation can be associated with many different factors, including the impact that the COVID pandemic had on cancer diagnosis rates.
“There’s also the populous areas where there may be more access to health care and things like that,” Hernandez said.
The tests are being performed by the Liberty School District.
Results from previous tests can be found in a portal created by the district as part of their transparency efforts.
The Missouri Cancer Advisory Inquiry Committee says more agencies might get involved.
“The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has offered the expertise of their staff to conduct additional types of data analysis if we decide to conduct a cancer inquiry," Pruitt said. "We have offered to assist the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health with any study they might initiate with the school,"
The committee said they will continue to work with the Clay County Health Department and, if desired, the school, to advise them on the next steps.