"I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". Assuming we follow the same statistical analysis as stated previously, over a 20-year period from 1975 1995, I estimate approximately 5,000 individuals have passed thru the hallowed halls of CHS. 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. V Trng Ton High School. According to My Central New Jersey, the mayor said the school site was vacant land until the school was built in 1967, so he believes there is little chance anything was in the ground before then, but if there is anything on site, it could have come from fill during the construction phase.. Al Lupiano, his sister and his wife are among the 115 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey that he has determined have had a brain tumor. Youre looking for footprints in the sand long after the tide has come and gone, said Dr. Clapp. The site received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores from the 1940s until 1967, at which time the facility was decontaminated to the standards in effect at the time. "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. Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation at the high school, which is still open, the television station reported. He, his wife, and his sister all attended the school in the '90s. "If we saw anything that said the school or the grounds were not safe, we would do something instantly. Remedial Action in accordance with this ROD was completed in FY08. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . The same day my sister was diagnosed (August 2021), I received the devastating news my wife Michele (nee Zawada) also has a very large (3.0 cm), very rare brain tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma (aka Vestibular Schwannoma) on her left side. (Google Maps), "Our agencies are aware of the concerns raised by local residents, particularly as they relate to Colonia High School, and are partnering with Mayor McCormac and Woodbridge Township to better understand the issue and determine whether any relevant environmental exposure concerns are present at the site," the DOH and DEP said in a joint statement. As first reported on New Jersey 101.5, Al Lupiano, a former Colonia High School student, was the one responsiblefor linking the people together. Market data provided by Factset. The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 producer, writer, and host Joe Votruba. We understand that the state authorities will be forwarding this information to appropriate federal agencies," Massimino's letter states. Our children and Colonia High School staff deserve more involvement of the State and Federal agencies. We need answers! In 1997, the contaminated process building was demolished, and the steel stockpiled for recycling. Any opinions expressed are his own. Findings from an environmental review did not find any evidence of cancer-causing hazards at Colonia High School. A nationwide constellation of state cancer databases was put in place in 1992, but these cancer registries often fail to account for changes in residency. The victims all went to Colonia High School in Woodbridge in New Jersey . Several news agencies have reached out to me and I anticipate the completed articles and interviews will be released shortly. The designation is the first, prerequisite step on the path toward a full-throated response, from investigation to cleanup and remediation and, potentially, legal recourse. Radiological assessments will be conducted throughout the . The Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are now leading the investigation into the high instances of brain tumor diagnoses among Colonia High School students and staff. It's going to have PCBs, they all do. This is alarming if true! And thats not the case. Its alarming because there are just so many people with a tumor malignant or benign, and its serious. A New Jersey town is planning to conduct environmental testing at Colonia High School after a resident discovered dozens of people connected to the school had developed rare brain tumors. 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.. is continuing. Prove to us theres nothing, he said. "I wasn't happy and I knew that they didn't do enough sampling, didn't test soil, groundwater tests for PCBs," Komorek said. Earlier this year, 1989 Colonia High School graduate Al Lupiano developed a list of more than 120 people who were students, teachers or staff members at the school from the 1970s to 1990s who have apparently developed brain tumors, including his sister who died with a malignant brain tumor in February. MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Search warrants unsealed Tuesday revealed more about what police were looking for, and what . A few weeks ago, we very suddenly and tragically lost my 44-year-old sister Angela (CHS-95) to a very rare and highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor (Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)) discovered on her left side. Ultimately, if it isnt a radiation source that is causing these illnesses, Lupiano says other tests can be done to pinpoint a cause. ", Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. 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. Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. Because the school remains open, we demand greater urgency to find out if potentially harmful substances are harming our children and staff at Colonia High School.". I'm exhausted. Market data provided by Factset. In April, Colonia High School in Colonia, New Jersey, made national headlines after more than 100 former students and staff reported online that they had been diagnosed with brain tumors, in a . 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. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. Colonia High School was reportedly the common denominator among those suffering from the tumors Credit: CBS NEW YORK. The sizes of neighborhood clusters are often too small to yield statistically significant results. Posted: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. PROMISING CANCER VACCINE IN THE WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS. (Google Maps). NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . Marion Renault is a health and science journalist. To summarize, primary brain tumors of this type have an incidence rate of between 10-30 out of 1,000,000 individuals. Casey returns to the Senate after cancer surgery 11 hours ago . Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, What Is Aphasia? When the state health department calculated the number of brain and other nervous system tumors that would be expected among the cohort of students and staff from 1968 to 2021, it concluded it could be up to 120 individuals just slightly under Mr. Lupianos count of about 125 (though he believes his tally is an undercount). There never was a cancer cluster, Mr. McCormac said in June. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. Trn Khai Nguyn High School. State your name, what you were diagnosed with, when, and what year you graduated CHS or worked there. And once againI couldnt do this without your help!! People move in and out of town. "If we can enrich science by showing that an unknown compound is in high concentration and link it to primary brain tumors, maybe we can protect others, remove it from our environment to make sure it never happens again," he said. About one in three people will develop cancer over a lifetime, and one in five will die from it. Lupiano's quest for information took him to Facebook last month, and that list of people who went to or worked at Colonia High School - and have a primary brain tumor - is now closing in on 100 . It confers such chaos into the people who are affected by it.. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. 100 families having to be told the terrible news. But in the field of public health, cancer clusters are defined by statistics, not gut instincts. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. r indicating there were no radiological hazards at Colonia High School, Some in Colonia not satisfied after no radiological hazards found at school, developed a list of more than 120 people who were students, teachers or staff members at the school from the 1970s to 1990s who have apparently developed brain tumors, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Image: Unsplash. It doesnt just go away because the test says all clear.. We all of us attended Colonia High School. Tech & Science Science Health and Medicine Brain Cancer. Lupiano and his wife, also is a Colonia High School grad, also developed brain tumors. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Even so, these constraints do not relieve public health departments from their duty to do all they can to address their constituents concerns even if they cant deliver definitive answers and even if they are under strain themselves. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Theres something special about cancer, said Richard Clapp, a cancer epidemiologist and a professor emeritus at Boston University. It was Lupiano, who is an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, who started connecting the dots. Some depend on the type of exposure, others unleash carcinogenesis only in people with the right genetic predisposition. Also in the 1980s, the contaminated materials disposed of at the MML were excavated, brought back to the site and stored in a specially constructed pile, known as the MML pile. In addition to leaning less heavily on statistical significance, the federal agencys new updates also call for an evolution in the interpersonal aspects of a cluster investigation. While I am thrilled to have the information coming in again, its also very troubling to see the numbers continue to grow. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 03:42 PM EST. Instead, an amalgam of carcinogens, genetic predispositions, social factors, lifestyle choices, natural aging and the random chance of spontaneous mutation sets it off, bit by bit, year by year, even decade by decade. Hng Vng High School. At the Colonia High School news conference in May, reporters pressed a panel of state experts on the decision not to test water and soil, even if just to reassure concerned community members that there was nothing there. Ten L Man High School. Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ 07067 Phone: 732-499-6500 Fax: 732-574-2575. Lupianos Facebook post initially read, Calling all Colonia High School (CHS) alumniI am in urgent need of your help!. EPA looking into cancer cluster tied to NJ high school. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fellow graduates from the Woodbridge Township school developed the same rare brain tumor and graduated between the years 1975 to 1995 . Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. There are PCBs everywhere," he said. For a community desperate for sense-making answers, it may be a bitter truth: There is more cancer around us than we can comprehend, and yet not enough to make scientific sense of. Could that be the link? Tonight I will be sitting down with The Garden State Podcast, which airs on various podcast services and Tik Tok. "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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. V Th Su High School. (two newly discovered cases are pending further investigation). McCormac said both commissioners acknowledged they received the township's email and he hopes to hear back from them soon. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection building. He concedes no soil or dust samples were collected when the township conducted its own tests, but adds that Komoreks findings need further validation. According to ABC7, one of the victims was a woman named Janice Wisinski, who died 10 years ago from an inoperable brain tumor while pregnant. Of the number placed in January, 18 percent weighed less than 600 pounds, 24 percent weighed from 600 to 699 pounds, 27 percent weighed from 700 to 799 pounds, 18 percent weighed 800 . Was it the street or neighborhood where we grew up linking us? But where did the exposure come from? The answer? 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. We need action! Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. 3/16 UPDATE: Since I created this post a week ago, the most frequent question I am asked is, Is there something I can do and do you need my help?. Trng Vng High School. HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) James Hudock, a former chemistry teacher who was promoted to vice principal at the Hazleton Area High School . Would love your thoughts, please comment. We have to really take a look at it, said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac to ABC 7. "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. Why is this alarming? That means we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people. Lupiano started the quest for answers, using Facebook to compile similar cases of people who worked or were students at Colonia High School. 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. We need an investigation! He was 52 years old. The township does not have records dating back to 55 years ago, the site noted. How was this possible? We are optimistic we will see some action soon. Edyta Komorek, an environmental scientist and parent with two children enrolled at the school, met on Monday with Superintendent of Schools Joseph Massimino, Colonia High School Principal Kenneth Pace and the president of the Woodbridge Township Education Association to discuss findings of some testing she had done at the school. In the '90s, the high school had another scare, this time on a much smaller scale that was ultimately ruled out as a possible concern. More than 100 people from the same high school have been diagnosed with brain cancer and it is feared soil contaminated with uranium used in the first atomic bomb made them ill. Rich Strack, who taught English and philosophy at Colonia for about 30 years, likened the situation to a dark cloud hanging over the school. Here are some tips. 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