"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. They have to stop its not that, not going to be that. All of them graduated from Colonia High School, and they all have brain tumors, ABC7 reported. While I have spent countless hours gathering data, I simply havent had enough time to get others involved. Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, What Is Aphasia? Questions, corrections, or comments? observed in 1990. (two newly discovered cases are pending further investigation). In the meantime, the investigation continues. Colonia High School is 1 of 3 high schools in . A cluster of brain tumors in people associated with a single New Jersey high school, Colonia High School, is causing concern. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Cancer survivor Al Lupiano says more than 100 former Colonia High School attendees have been diagnosed with rare cancers on 'Cross Country.'#FoxNews #CrossCo. In 1999, when he was just 27, Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare, benign brain tumor for someone his age called Acoustic Neuroma (AN). 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. But patience appears to be wearing thin among some in the community, judging by the petition. ", 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.". He concedes no soil or dust samples were collected when the township conducted its own tests, but adds that Komoreks findings need further validation. 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. An estimated 165,000 cattle and calves were placed on feed during January 2023, 14 percent above last month but down 17 percent from the January 2022 placements. Why would they include classes as recent as 2021 when we know many cancers take decades or longer to develop? They may seek answers where there are not any or where they are impossible to dredge out. The numbers of primary brain tumors continues (unfortunate) to rise as the story has gone national. V Trng Ton High School. Here's What to Know About Bruce Willis' Diagnosis, The Wanted's Tom Parker Dies at 33 After Brain Tumor Battle, Next Winter Storm May Bring Even More Snow to NYC Area This Week: What to Know. 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. 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. "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. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. My list currently stands at 90 cases. His . Beyond the adoption of genomic testing, which might identify a telltale genetic signature among patients with the same kind of cancer, no technological fix yet promises to address these problems. READ NEXT: Graphic Video Captures Death of 14-Year-Old Boy on Orlando Free Fall Amusement Ride. The soil sample also contained some pesticides. That, the "concerned Colonia High School parents, alumni, and township members" petitioning on behalf of their school community say, isn't acceptable. According to My Central New Jersey, the township has approved an emergency contract of $221,350 for an engineering firm to conduct radiological assessments at Colonia High School.. Print |. Trng Vng High School. In 1998 the Corps of Engineers recycled and disposed of the stockpiled steel. An alum of Colonia High School in Woodbridge is raising the alarm over a possible cancer cluster among the school's graduates. She also suggested air sampling be done with closed windows to make sure indoor air is not diluted. 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. 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. The study doesnt close anything. "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. When I analyzed the numbers I wasnt prepared to see the results! 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. Several news agencies have reached out to me and I anticipate the completed articles and interviews will be released shortly. 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. Local and federal environmental agencies say they are assisting the town of Woodbridge, New Jersey, in its investigation into more than 100 graduates of the same high school that have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. Both sisters graduated from Colonia High School, just like Al Lupiano in 1989, his wife Michelle in 1991, and his sister, Angela Decillis in 1995. Hng Vng High School. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. My sister and siblings attended Lynn Crest, Colonia Middle, and Colonia High School. Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? 100 PEOPLE WITH RARE TUMORS WHO ATTENDED SAME NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL DEMAND ANSWERS. So, if not the neighborhood, what was the link? 3/21 UPDATE: I am scheduled to present my data to local, County, and State officials. Lupiano promised his dying sister to dig for the root of the brain cancers apparently linked to the high school. Is cancer spreading at a New Jersey high school? 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. This is a high bar to clear. 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. Our meetings with the State and Feds. More like this: Online High School 12 /r . 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. 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. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. Colonia High School is located in Colonia, New Jersey. 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.. As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation. But where did the exposure come from? $9 Million Contract from National Cancer Institute Awarded for NJ State Cancer Registry. New Brunswick, N.J., April 27, 2021 - The New Jersey State Cancer Registry (NJSCR), under the direction of the State Department of Health in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has been awarded a seven-year, $9,085,109 contract (75N91021D00009) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI . I am currently organizing data to formulate my next steps. It confers such chaos into the people who are affected by it.. Never did I think when I started this post I would hit this number! All three have been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The 110 people that Lupiano has counted on his list of former Colonia High School graduates have been diagnosed with cancerous or noncancerous primary brain tumors, meaning they originated in the brain. Komorek said the superintendent thanked her for her research and said a consultant would have to review her findings. (Google Maps). PROMISING CANCER VACCINE IN THE WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS. "The results we have is not something the Department of Health, or DEP, or anyone, can rely on. She went inside the school in August to swipe dust samples from a bathroom, and returned a month later collecting samples outdoors, soil from the ground and caulk from a school window. Very often the first time public health officials learn about a potential community health threat, said Dr. Morello-Frosch, is through community members themselves.. Lupiano, however, says Woodbridge Mayor McCormac is the only government official who has reached out to him for information. To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. During my research, I uncovered a shocking number of our Woodbridge Township friends and family have also been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. 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. This is alarming if true! The town announced in May that there were no traces of radioactivity found in the school. 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 . 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. An investigation has . But some still want more. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 11:29 AM EST. Federal investigations take place: An investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency is being done to determine whether these 100-plus cases are a cancer cluster, or simply a coincidence, Fox News reported. I'm exhausted. So she took matters into her own hands and found toxic chemicals linked to cancer as well as pesticides at the school. Theres something there, in Colonia, Mr. Wisinski said. The clients have to pay for the remediation. Follow Joe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To summarize, primary brain tumors of this type have an incidence rate of between 10-30 out of 1,000,000 individuals. There never was a cancer cluster, Mr. McCormac said in June. COLONIA, N.J. - Radiation tests are being done at Colonia High School in New Jersey after more than 100 people were diagnosed with rare brain tumors. Ive done the leg work for them and gathered the data for the last 6 months. Marion Renault is a health and science journalist. But, according to the Change.org petition launched Tuesday, complete results aren't even anticipated to be received until the end of May. On the same day, his sister, Angela, learned she had a fast-growing malignant tumor, also on the left side of her brain. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. Ray Kent Carlile, "Ray Cool Cat Carlile" was born in Wichita, Kansas May 20, 1957 to Margaret and Earl Carlile and passed away at his home in Canon City on February 23, 2023. '", Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. Back in March, Colonia High graduate Al Lupiano posted his theory about possible links between brain tumors diagnoses among 1990s and early 2000s graduates of Colonia High and since then, he . For the past six months, Ive spent hundreds of hours scouring the internet and speaking to people about brain tumors. All rights reserved. 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. 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 AP participation rate at Colonia High School is 37%. By Sean Adams, WCBS Newsradio 880. "The medical journals are rich with data supporting ionizing radiation causes brain tumors. The New Jersey cancer registry offers little help, since not everyone who went to or worked at Colonia still lives in Woodbridge, and not everyone in Woodbridge went to Colonia. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received . Since the previously stated incident rate of GBM and AN is 10-30 out of 1,000,000, the rate of CHS brain tumors is 30,000 out of 1,000,000. Komorek said the school should be thoroughly tested for PCBs from indoor air through building materials and soil. To report that your child will be absent or late, call the Attendance Hotline: (732) 726-7040 3/25 UPDATE: The meetings with County, State, and Federal agencies are going well. 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. A consultant will be testing the grounds at Colonia High School, New Jersey, amid concerns that the school is linked to a high rate of rare brain cancers. McCormac said both commissioners acknowledged they received the township's email and he hopes to hear back from them soon. ou can send me a private message using FB Messenger or call/text me at (732)718-4753. 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 . 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. 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. 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. When faced with terminal disease, people often look for an overarching explanation as a way to cope with an unbearable reality. Ultimately, if it isnt a radiation source that is causing these illnesses, Lupiano says other tests can be done to pinpoint a cause. Pollution gets cleaned up or dissipates into the air. That means we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people. Find Us . That kind of follow-up could have the opposite effect, said Shawn LaTourette, New Jerseys commissioner of environmental protection, and send the wrong message that the suspicions deserved any more resources than what had already been invested. Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. Why hasnt anyone confirmed Mr. Lupianos list, in order to have an official tally to compare with the official estimate? Mr. Lupianos list of former classmates and staff members at Colonia High School with primary brain tumors hit 100 in April. MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Search warrants unsealed Tuesday revealed more about what police were looking for, and what . Remedial Action in accordance with this ROD was completed in FY08. 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 . As part of the demonstration, the teacher used theinstrument to test a collection of rocks stored in the closet of the science class when one of the rocks registered a reading of radioactivity. Colonia High School. (Google Maps). As luck would have it, my wife and sister where both assigned the same doctor to handle their treatment. "If we saw anything that said the school or the grounds were not safe, we would do something instantly. Is the exposure ongoing? Trn Khai Nguyn High School. However, the agency accepts a greater responsibility for helping communities cope with this uncertainty and the lack of resolution that often characterizes these investigations. Find Us . or redistributed. 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 . The school was one of the first buildings constructed there and has since been expanded. All three had attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, in central New Jersey, and soon enough, Mr. Lupiano began asking on Facebook and on a local news site if any other graduates had similar diagnoses. These tumors usually grow at 1 mm per yearAt 3.6 cm, my AN tumor appeared to have grown at an unprecedented rate (I had an MRI of the neck and brain a few years earlier for an unrelated issue and the tumor was not present). A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. We understand that the state authorities will be forwarding this information to appropriate federal agencies," Massimino's letter states. 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. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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