It's funded by the county, and is run by KU Med Center and the Brain Institute. This study is looking for a cause of the brain tumors. It's in its early stages. Meanwhile, Amoco announced an offer to buy 125 properties near the old Sugar Creek refinery. Owners could get more money from this deal than they did from a recent court settlement.
Some homeowners claim that contaminants from the oil plant have reduced property values.
Amoco says the offer to buy land is designed to reassure neighbors their investments are safe. Recently, backhoes digging new sewer lines hit patches of smelly water and soil contaminated with petroleum presumably coming from the old Amoco oil refinery. The discovery attracted attention from citizens, politicians and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Amoco environmental consultants say they expected it, and were separating some of the contaminated dirt for testing and disposal. The government has been working on a clean-up plan with Amoco for about ten years.