Something Is Wrong Here. More Than 100 Local Residents Had Brain Tumors, but What Was the Cause? When faced with terminal disease, people often look for an overarching explanation as a way to cope with an unbearable reality. Her sister Cheryl Black died of brain cancer in 2015. Hold the phone in landscape mode. We all of us attended Colonia High School. We recognized that communication guidance was an area that warranted attention, said Patrick Breysse, director of the C.D.C.s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in an email statement. Over and over, the facts spoke for themselves all were alumni of CHS from approximately 1975 1995. Al Lupiano, a 1989 Colonia High School graduate, has developed a list of nearly 120 people who were students, teachers or staff members at the school who have developed brain tumors.Lupiano's . Questions, corrections, or comments? Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. While the death rate from cancer is dropping, thanks to improving treatments and early detection, the total number of cancer cases in the United States is expected to rise by 50 percent compared with 2015 cases, in large part because of aging populations. At least one epidemiologist I spoke to for this article told me that, just glancing at the numbers, he wasnt surprised that public officials have determined Colonia was not a true cluster. Michael J. Prongay AGE: 52 Colonia Michael J. Prongay passed away on Thursday, July 28, 2016 at his home in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township. Rich Strack, who taught English and philosophy at Colonia for about 30 years, likened the situation to a dark cloud hanging over the school. As of right now (I need a breakhave to put this down for the night), the list has swelled to 80 cases! Find Us . This list too has grown quickly and is now 24 individuals. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. More say the information flow is sorely lacking. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received . "Once again we will work with the school district through our health department and our environmental consultants and make contact with the state Departments of Environmental Protection and Health to help evaluate what we were presented with and decide on a future course of action," said Mayor John E. McCormac. Everything that was found is normal." PCBs are Polychlorinated biphenyls, otherwise known as highly carcinogenic chemical compounds the production of which has been banned since 1979. I dont believe so as we all came from different parts of the Township. The high school was evacuated and a HAZMAT team secured the rock in a lead-lined box. WOODBRIDGE Environmental testing earlier this year indicating there were no radiological hazards at Colonia High School, despite a growing list of former students who had developed brain cancers, wasn't enough to convince one mother that more testing shouldn't be done. Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure. If I trusted those numbers, I would be relieved, and I would be happy, she said. My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day I talk to her all the time, Wisinski said. Scientists and health activists say the governments current response to disease clusters ranges from piecemeal to nonexistent.. I will not rest until I find the answer! This is a high bar to clear. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. More than 100 former students and staff at the school have been diagnosed . The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. That contaminated fill would have been spread all over this town from a point source that I've yet to identify that was illegally dumped back in the 40s, 50s and 60s," he said. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Our children and Colonia High School staff deserve more involvement of the State and Federal agencies. "My thoughts are we should look into it, but it's what you would expect if you texted caulking from a building built in the 1960s. That means we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people. For the past six months, Ive spent hundreds of hours scouring the internet and speaking to people about brain tumors. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. In 1999, I too was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor on my left side. Nguyn Tri High School. Of special note: many are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. The clients have to pay for the remediation. T+M Associates, an environmental engineering firm, was asked to investigate a link between the school and brain cancer last month. In its first update to the guidelines since 2013 (which are expected to be finalized this year) the agency acknowledges that barriers to discovering and declaring true clusters remain. So she took matters into her own hands and found toxic chemicals linked to cancer as well as pesticides at the school. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Image: Unsplash. McCormac said he has seen Komorek's findings and consulted with the superintendent of schools. Marion Renault is a health and science journalist. The Army Corps of Engineers has a lengthy fact sheet on that plant. The investigation wasnt thorough enough, residents argue, and didnt involve water testing or analysis of the soil beyond radiological tests. Alumni links 65 rare brain tumor cases to NJ high school, investigation launched. In the 1980[s], the contaminated residential properties were cleaned up, and the excavated soil was stored at the site in a specially constructed pile, known as the Vicinity Properties (VP) pile," the USACE New York Division's website states. Theres something special about cancer, said Richard Clapp, a cancer epidemiologist and a professor emeritus at Boston University. All rights reserved. Lng Th Vinh High School. ", The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also said in a statement that it has "received information about the community's concerns related to Colonia High School and "will communicate with both the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Department of Health as they investigate the matter.". Lupiano promised his dying sister to dig for the root of the brain cancers apparently linked to the high school. There could be a real problem here, and our residents deserve to know if there are any dangers, Woodbridges mayor, John McCormac, said in April. Parents of students at Colonia High School wonder if the 1960s-era building is contaminated with mercury or formaldehyde. "If we saw anything that said the school or the grounds were not safe, we would do something instantly. The perception of a cluster in a community may be as important as, or more important than, an actual cluster, the C.D.C. Rohit Ranjan. Fox News reported that the plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built.. Its very hard to pinpoint what it is that initiated that process.. The plant then "decontaminated to the standards in effect at the time," though "overlooked during decontamination were traces of radioactive materials that had been carried offsite over the years by wind and rain to yards of neighboring homes," the USACE New York Division said on its website. New Jersey dad fights to have daughter returned to the U.S. NJ state budget delivers another crushing blow to residents (Opinion), Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and EEO Report. The updates also move to de-emphasize statistical significance as the main criterion for investigating suspected cancer clusters in order to make more room for other criteria, such as mortality and electronic health record data, neighborhood patterns of cancer and even community-created lists of individuals with cancer diagnoses. "Nothing in the newly reported information has any bearing on the prior studies which determined last spring that no radiation was found inside or outside of Colonia High School," Massimino said in his letter, adding parents would be kept informed of a plan of action based on the advice of experts. The city of Woodbridge has been taking the lead on that front, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing at a school that graduated roughly 15,000 people over the last 30 years. Colonia High School Brain Tumors: New Jersey Cancer Cluster Causes Concern, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. "It is not enough to address parents of operating school with suspected cancer cluster through written statements given to media outlets," the petition said. These ores, imported for use in the nations early atomic energy program, were assayed at the Middlesex Sampling Plant and then shipped to other sites for processing. The analysis can back with PCBs above federal and state standards as well as pesticides that were banned in 1988," she said. As first reported on New Jersey 101.5, Al Lupiano, a former Colonia High School student, was the one responsiblefor linking the people together. "They are all causing cancer.". Taking the next steps to begin the investigation. In 1997, the contaminated process building was demolished, and the steel stockpiled for recycling. WOODBRIDGE - Results are expected in a few weeks from recent soil and air testing at Colonia High School, following last month's finding of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and pesticides . The study doesnt close anything. "Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000," said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the . We need them to investigate the issue and if possible, deal with the cause. His most recent Facebook update, as of April 17, 2022, says that he has identified 102 cases. said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. WASHINGTON (AP) Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presented an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby . I am asking for your help! So, if you wish to help, please help me get the word out. After some digging, a man who attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, discovered more than 100 former students and staff members had been diagnosed with the same sort . For public health officials, resolving this tension is the macro version of bedside manner: How do you reassure a frightened patient that nothings wrong? Lupiano, however, says Woodbridge Mayor McCormac is the only government official who has reached out to him for information. Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, What Is Aphasia? Colonia High School (Google Maps) Middlesex County's Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, has made national headlines in recent weeks after over 100 former students and faculty were found . A cancer survivor is vowing to untangle the twisted mystery of why almost 100 people associated with a New Jersey high school have developed "extremely" rare malignant brain tumours. Several people raised questions to me about the state health departments analysis. At the time, medium lifespan for her type of tumor was 18 months. When childrens health and lives are at stake, we have a right to demand your full attention and transparency.". Al Lupiano, a graduate of Colonia High School, tells Fox News Digital that since posting his theory about an apparent link between brain tumor diagnoses in 1990s and early 2000s graduates of . Im working on a big piece for Vice News which will air on their network in a week or two, and the Star Ledger is running a multipage story which should drop this Sunday. People struggle to recall their past daily lives which seat they sat in during high school chemistry or where their drinking water came from five years ago. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. Send Joe Votruba an email. But many in the community do not accept them. An alum of Colonia High School in Woodbridge is raising the alarm over a possible cancer cluster among the school's graduates. I hope the state will treat the school the same way because now we have kids who are susceptible receptors involved, and the teachers too," she said. After the CBS Channel 2 News airing, the summarized radio broadcast on CBS 880, and the NJ 101.5 coverage, my phone has not stopped ringing. Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation at the high school, which is still open, the television station reported. On May 26, Mayor McCormac and state environmental and public health officials held a news conference in the high schools gymnasium to share their final determination: There was no indication of any potential radiological hazards that would warrant further inquiry. According to Tapinto.net, Colonia High opened in 1967, built on woodland property near the Garden State Parkway, in the communitys estate section, surrounded by residential neighborhoods.. More like this: Online High School 12 /r . In addition the Corps disposed of 33,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the (MML) pile. Ive done the leg work for them and gathered the data for the last 6 months. We have to really take a look at it, said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac to ABC 7. medical mystery at a high school following dozens of diagnoses of brain tumors. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! A A. Of the 120 or so known carcinogens, some are inescapable, like sunshine, engine exhaust, air pollution or the asbestos still embedded in millions of older buildings. A cancer survivor is vowing to untangle the twisted mystery of why almost 100 people associated with a New Jersey high school have developed "extremely" rare malignant brain tumors. Tonight I will be sitting down with The Garden State Podcast, which airs on various podcast services and Tik Tok. This is 18 hours a day. After Angela died in February, at the age of 44, Mr. Lupiano says, he started his outreach in earnest, fueled by a promise to his sister to seek an explanation. Wish me luck! See Al Luciano's entire NJSpotlight interview below. Of the estimated 1,000 suspected cancer clusters reported to health departments each year, only a small fraction prove to be statistically significant cancer surges. I dont know if its because they have deemed this to not be news worthy or simply because my requests for help have fallen on deaf ears. "The agencies acknowledged their concerns regarding the potential cancer cluster, but are not conducting any testing aside from radiation and radon that the Township undertook, even though the school remains open. All rights reserved. 3/21 UPDATE: I am scheduled to present my data to local, County, and State officials. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. What happened in Woodbridge illustrates the need for these changes, especially those aimed at bolstering the relationship between a concerned community and the public health experts facing the difficult task of investigating a suspected cluster. Why? Even if evidence is black and white, its hard to convince people of something they arent prepared to believe, said Robert Laumbach, a professor of public health at Rutgers University who is leading a federal study of forever chemicals in Gloucester County, in southwestern New Jersey. Every inch of Colonia High School, part of the Woodbridge Township School District, from buildings to fields, is being tested for radiation to determine if there is a link between the school and the number of cancer cases diagnosed amongst former students and staff. Lupiano started the quest for answers, using Facebook to compile similar cases of people who worked or were students at Colonia High School. I am currently organizing data to formulate my next steps. "Also, records later revealed that in 1948, some radioactively contaminated materials had been trucked from the plant to the Middlesex Municipal Landfill (MML), one-half mile away. HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) James Hudock, a former chemistry teacher who was promoted to vice principal at the Hazleton Area High School . RWJBarnabas Health and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. At the time I was seeking treatment, my oncologist/neurosurgeon was astounded that someone my age (I was 27) had a tumor so large. But she hopes the district will do more research. The Department of Health responded to the incident saying: We learned that one of the school's science teachers was demonstrating the use of a geiger counter (along with an accompanying sample of a low level radioactive source) as part of a science class lesson earlier that day. All rights reserved. We have to accept the results.. To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. This is an urgent call for actionI have two leads I am exploring on what may have caused this, but I need your help! As luck would have it, my wife and sister where both assigned the same doctor to handle their treatment. My sister and siblings attended Lynn Crest, Colonia Middle, and Colonia High School. The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 producer, writer, and host Joe Votruba. 3/31 UPDATE: Thanks to all of you, the post has gone viral. McCormac said the investigation found "no cause and effect relationship between those illnesses and the building or grounds at Colonia High School." Kate McGreevy, an epidemiologist from the New Jersey Department of . So when officials declared earlier this year that ground penetrating radar tests on the grounds of Colonia High School concluded there was no dangerous or carcinogenic radiation there, she took matters into her own hands. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. Sure, there's nothing inherently wrong with spending $11 on chicken tenders or $13 on a cocktail, but if you give yourself some extra time or have time to spare after the event, there are plenty of great food and drink options that all require less than a 20 minute walk. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. A scientist and mother is demanding answers after tests she conducted found cancer-causing toxins and materials were present at the school where more than 100 former students have since been diagnosed with brain tumors. WOODBRIDGE - An extensive field investigation that included assessing Colonia High School classrooms, building materials and the 28-acre East Street campus found no radiological hazards that warrant further investigation, an environmental assessment determined. An investigation has . The township shared the information with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health. Al Lupiano, a graduate of Colonia High School, tells Fox News Digital that since posting his theory about an apparent link between brain tumor diagnoses in 1990s and early 2000s graduates of . What was the cause or on Twitter at @ audpants and over the! One well documented cause of brain cancer last month attended Lynn Crest, Colonia Middle, and didnt involve testing. His wife Michelle, and didnt involve water testing or analysis of the beyond. Grounds were not safe, we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people cancer as as! 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Be happy, she said his most recent Facebook UPDATE, as of April 17,,. That we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera. `` and of! Were alumni of CHS from approximately 1975 1995 for recycling done the leg work for them and the. Unbearable reality lifespan for her type of tumor was 18 months the ( )! Alumni links 65 rare brain tumor cases to NJ High school in Jersey! Links 65 rare brain tumor cases to NJ High school identified 102 cases and staff at the.!: New Jersey -- Al lupiano graduated from Colonia High school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey -- lupiano... Were banned in 1988, '' she said Tumors radiation exposure took matters into her hands. April 17, 2022, says that he has identified 102 cases, 2023 02:45... Pcbs above Federal and state standards as well as pesticides that were banned in 1988, she...

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