Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. (Al Lupiano), Lupaino says he has witnessed, in his career, "what happens when our government and our military [are] involved with leaving a location and not being very good environmental stewards. Rohit Ranjan. World News Posted by Amit Chaturvedi Updated: April 15, 2022 12:33 pm IST. Facebook Colonia High School. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. Dozens of former teachers and students have . If I trusted those numbers, I would be relieved, and I would be happy, she said. 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. Powered by. Earlier:Some in Colonia not satisfied after no radiological hazards found at school. 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 . In the meantime, the investigation continues. The facility, which includes several buildings on 9.6 acres, was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende. I want someone else to go to.". 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. Im optimistic we may see action in the next few days. 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. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. Of special note: many are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. Why? Based on our information regarding the rock, and the surveys conducted of our staff, we are confident that it is safe for the children to return to school. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. Parents are trying to get authorities to investigate these clusters and to discern what caused the disease patterns. That means we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people. Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. Since discovering three individuals in my family were diagnosed with very rare brain tumors, and all about the same size and on the same side of our head, I needed to find a link. Nearly 100 Former Students and Staff From Colonia High School Develop Brain Tumors More say the information flow is sorely lacking. "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps. A Record of Decision (ROD) for Soils was signed September 2005. ", "They tend to leave stuff behind, and that stuff tends to migrate from one location to another. In the case of Colonia High School, many of these valid limitations apply. "The medical journals are rich with data supporting ionizing radiation causes brain tumors. The victims all went to Colonia High School in Woodbridge in New Jersey . In 1980s, 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. (Google Maps). 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. Pollution gets cleaned up or dissipates into the air. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". Others we choose exposure to: alcohol, tobacco, processed meat, tanning beds. "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. Lupiano believes theres a link between. Lng Th Vinh High School. Yesthere is. 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. 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. "We and our children deserve more! Parents like Dawn Genoni are willing to wait for those results -- at least at the time Genoni spoke to News 4 last month. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . A cluster of brain tumors in people associated with a single New Jersey high school, Colonia High School, is causing concern. My list currently stands at 90 cases. All three have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. What we were not prepared for was for the state to say, Were satisfied, after doing one simple test, Mr. Lupiano said. Like 6 Comments |. 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 . Humans are awash in potential cancer-causing agents, and it is practically impossible to determine the cause of a given case. Above, Jason Wisinski, with his daughter, Haylee, lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to primary brain tumors. As luck would have it, my wife and sister where both assigned the same doctor to handle their treatment. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. Legal Statement. That, the "concerned Colonia High School parents, alumni, and township members" petitioning on behalf of their school community say, isn't acceptable. Hold the phone in landscape mode. If you were affected or have a tumor or rare cancer, I need your assistance. For those who dont know me, my name is Al Lupiano and I graduated CHS class of 89. Schools in North Brunswick and Trenton, as well as in Greenwich, Conn., and Northport, N.Y., were discovered to have been constructed on or near contaminated soils. Angela died from it. Lupiano, an environmental scientist, said he has confirmed 65 cases of people with rare brain tumors, adding the common denominator is they were all Colonia High School graduates or had worked there. Colonia Park Mall in court over $200,000 in bills She sent them to independent laboratories and says the results were alarming. 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). Advocates for an official investigation into fears of a "cancer cluster" at the Middlesex County high school say there are parallels to the notorious water system contamination in the Ocean County town that was blamed for more than 130 cases of childhood cancer in the 1990s. Superintendent of Schools Joseph Massimino announced the findings Thursday in a letter to township families, following allegations . Komorek said the superintendent thanked her for her research and said a consultant would have to review her findings. Since cancer can take such a long time to manifest, evidence of what caused it has ample time to disappear. Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare malignant brain tumors on the same day. He was born in . In 1997, the contaminated process building was demolished, and the steel stockpiled for recycling. And when do you need to check your own biases and take patients concerns more seriously? 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. Al Lupiano, his wife and his sister all had brain tumors. According to the Associated Press, a simple classroomdemonstrationof a Geiger counter resulted in panic when the radiation detectorshowed troubling results when a loud clamor was heard over a rock. The study doesnt close anything. "People have to stop using the word cancer cluster. 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. However, 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. My sister and siblings attended Lynn Crest, Colonia Middle, and Colonia High School. Colonia High School was reportedly the common denominator among those suffering from the tumors Credit: CBS NEW YORK. Whether it be for a sporting event, concert, or other popular event, there's a good chance you'll be making your way to the Newark arena dubbed 'The Rock' at some point in the near future. Even before Mr. Lupianos list had reached 100 people, it had drawn the attention of local and national news media and had catalyzed public officials to act. The total minority enrollment is 53%, and 34% of students are economically disadvantaged. The onset of brain tumors in more than one hundred people who attended or worked at Colonia High School in New Jersey has continued to baffle experts. Why Al Lupiano raised alarm over Colonia HS cancer links Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? Market data provided by Factset. 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. Lupiano, however, says Woodbridge Mayor McCormac is the only government official who has reached out to him for information. 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. Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. The town announced in May that there were no traces of radioactivity found in the school. We all of us attended Colonia High School. Several news agencies have reached out to me and I anticipate the completed articles and interviews will be released shortly. "So if that's the case, that could explain why we have pockets of these rare cancers all over Woodbridge Township.". 27 /r/newjersey, 2023-02-22, 22:36:15 Permalink. Schools Radiation Testing Underway At NJ School With Possible Cancer Link They are now doing radon air testing after a 1989 Colonia grad said he found a high number of brain cancers linked to the . 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 . '", Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. Thats not body cancers and general tumorsthats 80 rare primary brain tumors! We understand that the state authorities will be forwarding this information to appropriate federal agencies," Massimino's letter states. Graphic Video Captures Death of 14-Year-Old Boy on Orlando Free Fall Amusement Ride. 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