Hold the phone in landscape mode. It opens up more questions, more doubts, more anxieties, more concerns, he said. Chu Vn An High School. I want someone else to go to.". 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. It started in 1999 when Mr. Lupiano, then 27, was diagnosed with a noncancerous one. 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.. His wife was similarly diagnosed with a malignant AN tumor, and his sister was diagnosed with malignant Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which has an incident rate of 30 out of every 1 million people. Her sister Cheryl Black died of brain cancer in 2015. In 1999, I too was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor on my left side. ", The agencies continued: "The Department of Health will work with the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to provide an assessment of the potential health effects. 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 . Colonia High School is located in Colonia, New Jersey. Whatever the city decides to do, Komorek said she hopes it goes beyond the tests they already performed. Never did I think when I started this post I would hit this number! 3/25 UPDATE: The meetings with County, State, and Federal agencies are going well. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. We need them to investigate the issue and if possible, deal with the cause. 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.". 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. This is only one of many, many tests that can be performed. See Al Luciano's entire NJSpotlight interview below. The Woodbridge School District superintendent at the time then added: Radioactivity is ubiquitous in the environment. Komorek said sources of PCB in the school could include window, door or sink caulk, floor tile glue, paint, fluorescent light ballasts, expansion joints, concrete and mortar, materials which can emit PCBs into indoor air. 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 . Caitlyn Shelton. Wish me luck! Some workers, such as miners and firefighters, are exposed to known carcinogens during their careers. When I analyzed the numbers I wasnt prepared to see the results! "I wasn't happy and I knew that they didn't do enough sampling, didn't test soil, groundwater tests for PCBs," Komorek said. He was born in . The facility, which includes several buildings on 9.6 acres, was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende. Ive done the leg work for them and gathered the data for the last 6 months. During my research, I uncovered a shocking number of our Woodbridge Township friends and family have also been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. Findings from an environmental review did not find any evidence of cancer-causing hazards at Colonia High School. Rich Strack, who taught English and philosophy at Colonia for about 30 years, likened the situation to a dark cloud hanging over the school. Al Lupiano, a former Colonia High School student, Pop-punk band New Found Glory playing rare performance near NJ, The cast of Home Improvement what they look like now, Bristol Palin on the mend after 9th breast augmentation, There is now a 24-hour Rocky TV channel, Gisele Bundchens post-Tom Brady magazine cover fuels satanic panic, These Speciale meatballs named best balls in New Jersey, Reward yourself! PCBs are Polychlorinated biphenyls, otherwise known as highly carcinogenic chemical compounds the production of which has been banned since 1979. Our meetings with the State and Feds. Like 6 Comments |. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a true cancer cluster must be a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases of the same type of cancer or those proven to have the same cause, within a specific population over a set time. Theres something there, in Colonia, Mr. Wisinski said. We need an investigation! The township does not have records dating back to 55 years ago, the site noted. Ms. Renault is a health and science journalist. V Trng Ton High School. Potentially contaminated soil had been removed from the Middlesex Borough property over the years,with some of the soil used for construction right around the time of the construction of Colonia High School. I had told my sister from the very beginning that there was too much of a coincidence that me, my wife and her all have the same tumor, said Lupiano to ABC 7. The total minority enrollment is 53%, and 34% of students are economically disadvantaged. My main focus is still on determining if ionizing radiation is the cause of these tumor and other rare cancers. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. 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 . With no state regulations for PCBs in schools, she suggested Vermont state guidelines be followed for indoor air testing because they are more conservative than federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. Pollution gets cleaned up or dissipates into the air. On April 10, Mr. Lupiano's list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. 89. Warning signs of bile duct cancer; 4 mins ago China's real estate market in 'thirst' for credit; 5 mins ago 3 lonely constellations have companions, difficult ones have someone to show the way; 6 mins ago Le Quang Liem won a beautiful victory against the Filipino-American chess prodigy; 8 mins ago Concerned about the agency to settle land . 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. Lupiano has been posting lengthy updates to his Facebook page: 4/11 UPDATE: 100as of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor. 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. 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. Earlier this year, officials claimed that penetrating radar tests on the grounds of Colonia High School concluded . Parents like Dawn Genoni are willing to wait for those results -- at least at the time Genoni spoke to News 4 last month. His . Market data provided by Factset. ", 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. "From my perspective when we find this type of contamination on our client's property, we're not allowed to sit still and refuse to act. All three of them have since come down with rare brain disorders. Their neurologist, who has been recognized as a global leader in neurosurgery by the World Federation of Neurological Societies, has treated and been involved with tens of thousands of brain tumors in his career. Any opinions expressed are his own. Why? There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure. So she took matters into her own hands and found toxic chemicals linked to cancer as well as pesticides at the school. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. All of them graduated from Colonia High School, and they all have brain tumors, ABC7 reported. 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. Keeping my fingers crossed!! Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. The situation first came to light after Colonia High School alumnus Al Lupiano identified at least 104 former students and staff who suffered from rare brain tumors and cancer. In 1997, the contaminated process building was demolished, and the steel stockpiled for recycling. I need your help Facebook. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. To summarize, primary brain tumors of this type have an incidence rate of between 10-30 out of 1,000,000 individuals. Alumni links 65 rare brain tumor cases to NJ high school, investigation launched. My three siblings graduated class of 91, 95, and 98. By Sean Adams, WCBS Newsradio 880. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. There's lots and lots of people calling me, saying, 'Look, I didn't go to the high school, but I live a mile away, and we call our block cancer alley. Dozens of former teachers and students have . 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. If you would like to help, please contact the news and media agencies as well as your local, County, and State officials and get them involved. Ive requested a few pieces of historical data, trying to determine the history of the site prior to the construction of the HS. We need action! Legal Statement. Edyta Komorek is a professional environmental scientist. The sizes of neighborhood clusters are often too small to yield statistically significant results. 3/29 UPATE: The list has continued to grow, and now stands at 65 individuals. Cancer survivor Al Lupiano says more than 100 former Colonia High School attendees have been diagnosed with rare cancers on 'Cross Country.'#FoxNews #CrossCo. Superintendent of Schools Joseph Massimino announced the findings Thursday in a letter to township families, following allegations . "So if that's the case, that could explain why we have pockets of these rare cancers all over Woodbridge Township.". Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia High School. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. As of right now (I need a breakhave to put this down for the night), the list has swelled to 80 cases! According to the television station, the sisters graduated from Colonia High School. Parents of students at Colonia High School wonder if the 1960s-era building is contaminated with mercury or formaldehyde. While I dont know for sure if they are related, being graduates of the High School, living next to the HS, and/or having rare cancers is something I feel needs to be explored further. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/opinion/cancer-cluster-colonia-woodbridge.html. I'm doing this not only for my wife, my sister my nieces are currently in the school but this deserves further understanding. However, the agency accepts a greater responsibility for helping communities cope with this uncertainty and the lack of resolution that often characterizes these investigations. or redistributed. Between August 1999 and November 1999, the Corps disposed of 35,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the VP pile. The school was one of the first buildings constructed there and has since been expanded. Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare malignant brain tumors on the same day. It is his belief my wife and I may be the first documented case of spouses having an AN, both roughly the same size and on the same side of the headaccording to him, the odds are maybe 1 in a BILLION. It's going to have PCBs, they all do. ", 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.". Among other things, the law calls for periodic updates to federal cluster investigation guidelines work that the C.D.C., compelled by the legislation, began in 2018. He was raised in Thornton, CO and moved to Liberal, Kansas where he married and had two girls, Chelsey and Amber. The Middlesex Sampling Plant is located at 239 Mountain Avenue in Middlesex, New Jersey. Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ 07067 Phone: 732-499-6500 Fax: 732-574-2575. Gov. Phil Murphy told NJ.com the possible brain tumor cluster was disturbing but stressed it was too soon to make definitive conclusions about the cause. "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps. Why would they include classes as recent as 2021 when we know many cancers take decades or longer to develop? 3/21 UPDATE: I am scheduled to present my data to local, County, and State officials. "The medical journals are rich with data supporting ionizing radiation causes brain tumors. Others told NJ.com they want a remote learning option until the investigation is complete. Find Us . Graphic Video Captures Death of 14-Year-Old Boy on Orlando Free Fall Amusement Ride. On April 10, Mr. Lupianos list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. Lng Th Vinh 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. Please, look at this. All three have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By the time you see a tumor in a mammogram, it may be that that tumor has been growing for six years, said Rachel Morello-Frosch, a professor of public health at the University of California, Berkeley. More than 100 former students and staff at the school have been diagnosed . More say the information flow is sorely lacking. But, according to the Change.org petition launched Tuesday, complete results aren't even anticipated to be received until the end of May. "I have full faith they will get to the bottom of this and they will figure out what is going on," she said at the time. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 11:29 AM EST. We have to really take a look at it, said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac to ABC 7. Follow Joe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. T+M Associates, an environmental engineering firm, was asked to investigate a link between the school and brain cancer last month. My wife and I have known each other since meeting in grade school (Lynn Crest). If you were affected or have a tumor or rare cancer, I need your assistance. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. We all grew up in Woodbridge Township, but I lived in Iselin miles away from where she grew up in Colonia. So it's not unheard of. Here are the best chocolates in New Jersey. A high school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, is being investigated by environmental experts . Colonia High School is 1 of 3 high schools in . "One hundred out of 15,000 have brain cancer -- sure sounds like something we should be concerned about," Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac has said. 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. After Al Lupiano, his wife and his sister developed brain tumors, he reached out to former classmates at their New Jersey high school to see if they had similar problems. Ive reached out to both the news and local newspapers, but have not received any interest. (Google Maps). But in the field of public health, cancer clusters are defined by statistics, not gut instincts. The numbers of primary brain tumors continues (unfortunate) to rise as the story has gone national. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. EPA looking into cancer cluster tied to NJ high school. So that's why I focused on cancerous or malignant and benign because they're triggered by the same thing, and we have really solid statistics to say all. Cancer does not awaken all at once. Radiation tests are being carried out at a New Jersey high school where over 100 former students and staff are reported to have developed brain tumors and cancerand the . "[W]e have really solid data on primary brain tumors because of what we learned after World War Two, what we learned after Chernobyl," Lupiano explained. But this isn't the first time the high school has had questions about the radiation levels in the area. When faced with terminal disease, people often look for an overarching explanation as a way to cope with an unbearable reality. I needed more data. Lupiano's sister, also a graduate of the high school, died recently from brain cancer. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. Market data provided by Factset. State your name, what you were diagnosed with, when, and what year you graduated CHS or worked there. To report that your child will be absent or late, call the Attendance Hotline: (732) 726-7040 It was an entry point for uranium ores that were "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," according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York Division. His sister Angela Decillis graduated . Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. And suddenly, it hit me! A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. Their careers angela M. Decillis, a rare brain tumor on my left side until... Is complete Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps into the air,... 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