But Mr. Lupiano said he ultimately hopes one way or another to be assured that all is as it should be. Cancer survivor Al Lupiano says more than 100 former Colonia High School attendees have been diagnosed with rare cancers on 'Cross Country.'#FoxNews #CrossCo. 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. 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. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . Komorek, who was hesitant about having her children, a junior and a freshman, at the high school, transferred them to another district school this week. 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. But some still want more. 2023 www.mycentraljersey.com. V Trng Ton High School. 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. We understand that the state authorities will be forwarding this information to appropriate federal agencies," Massimino's letter states. To report that your child will be absent or late, call the Attendance Hotline: (732) 726-7040 The Army Corps of Engineers has a lengthy fact sheet on that plant. "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. They can find reasons to doubt. Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . Prove to us theres nothing, he said. Something Is Wrong Here. More Than 100 Local Residents Had Brain Tumors, but What Was the Cause? according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York Division. In 1999, when he was just 27, Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare, benign brain tumor for someone his age called Acoustic Neuroma (AN). 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. Posted: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. Chu Vn An High School. In Woodbridge and elsewhere, unresolved concerns regardless of whether more can be done, scientifically can seed deep distrust and suspicion in suspected cluster communities. We are optimistic we will see some action soon. "Every inch of Colonia High School 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 . Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ 07067 Phone: 732-499-6500 Fax: 732-574-2575. 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. Im optimistic we may see action in the next few days. Ive reached out to both the news and local newspapers, but have not received any interest. Any opinions expressed are his own. What happened in my community continually repeats itself throughout this entire country, year in and year out, that survivor, Trevor Schaefer, told lawmakers in 2011. 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. ", 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. 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 . 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. All the testing, both by Komorek and the district, came after 108 people from over a period of three decades ending in the early 2000s who attended the school were diagnosed with brain tumors. During the freshman orientation for parents, she collected a dust sample inside a bathroom which came back positive for polychlorinated biphenyls also known as PCBs, which have been linked to cancer in humans. Lupiano, an environmental scientist who tested ground samples for toxins over the course of his 33-year career, has suggested that the school's grounds could be contaminated, pointing to Middlesex, New Jersey, sampling plant as a potential linking factor behind the 100-plus tumors. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 03:42 PM EST. Lupiano's sister, also a graduate of the high school, died recently from brain cancer. 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. Parents like Dawn Genoni are willing to wait for those results -- at least at the time Genoni spoke to News 4 last month. It confers such chaos into the people who are affected by it.. The answer? Would love your thoughts, please comment. We need action! In 2016, Congress passed Trevors Law, named after a survivor of childhood brain cancer linked to a suspected cluster in Idaho deemed too small to study. Above, Jason Wisinski, with his daughter, Haylee, lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to primary brain tumors. Before being devastated by a hurricane in 1960, Cliffwood Beach, NJ was a hot vacation spot that drew comparisons to Brooklyn's Coney Island. 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. However, the agency accepts a greater responsibility for helping communities cope with this uncertainty and the lack of resolution that often characterizes these investigations. The draft guidelines promote listening skills and empathy on the part of state and local health department representatives, the sharing of information upon which decisions are made, and developing communication plans in advance of concerns being raised to build trust and credibility, said Dr. Breysse. Legal Statement. Tech & Science Science Health and Medicine Brain Cancer. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School . PCBs are Polychlorinated biphenyls, otherwise known as highly carcinogenic chemical compounds the production of which has been banned since 1979. 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. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received . On April 10, Mr. Lupianos list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. Of special note: many are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. A cluster of brain tumors in people associated with a single New Jersey high school, Colonia High School, is causing concern. Komorek said the superintendent thanked her for her research and said a consultant would have to review her findings. EPA looking into cancer cluster tied to NJ high school. 89. The high school was evacuated and a HAZMAT team secured the rock in a lead-lined box. Even more troubling? About one in three people will develop cancer over a lifetime, and one in five will die from it. But, in order for me to take the next steps, I need the help of others. 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 . All rights reserved. Our meetings with the State and Feds. For those who dont know me, my name is Al Lupiano and I graduated CHS class of 89. 3/25 UPDATE: The meetings with County, State, and Federal agencies are going well. So she took matters into her own hands and found toxic chemicals linked to cancer as well as pesticides at the school. He was raised in Thornton, CO and moved to Liberal, Kansas where he married and had two girls, Chelsey and Amber. That, the "concerned Colonia High School parents, alumni, and township members" petitioning on behalf of their school community say, isn't acceptable. 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR IN US HISTORY DUE TO COVID-19, DRUG OVERDOSES. High School Lost My Transcript 16 /r/applyingtocollege, 2023-02-20, 17:42:41 Stage IV update 15 /r/pancreaticcancer . "People have to stop using the word cancer cluster. As luck would have it, my wife and sister where both assigned the same doctor to handle their treatment. So, if you wish to help, please help me get the word out. Why Al Lupiano raised alarm over Colonia HS cancer links, Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? 100 PEOPLE WITH RARE TUMORS WHO ATTENDED SAME NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL DEMAND ANSWERS. Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. 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.. Between August 1999 and November 1999, the Corps disposed of 35,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the VP pile. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. Facebook Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. "One hundred out of 15,000 have brain cancer -- sure sounds like something we should be concerned about," Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac has said. "Im not sure what they will propose, but I hope this is going to include comprehensive soil, ground, water (testing)," she said. All three of them have since come down with rare brain disorders. "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. 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. "That was a red flag," said Komorek who also collected a caulk sample from outside the school and soil samples, both of which also came back for PCBs. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection building. 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 . In 1999, the Corps prepared an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) to address the Vicinity Property (VP) pile remaining at the site. An investigation has . Why? But, according to the Change.org petition launched Tuesday, complete results aren't even anticipated to be received until the end of May. 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. Brian Thompson reports. (Google Maps). We all of us attended 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. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". 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 . https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/opinion/cancer-cluster-colonia-woodbridge.html. Thats not body cancers and general tumorsthats 80 rare primary brain tumors! This now makes three of us in one family with primary brain tumors all on the left side. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. Ive also started a sublist of what I am classifying as cases of interest due to several anomalies. HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) James Hudock, a former chemistry teacher who was promoted to vice principal at the Hazleton Area High School . With confirmed cases now at 61 we have an incidence of 61 out of approximately 10,000 individuals. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach . 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. 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. 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. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. 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. Our children and Colonia High School staff deserve more involvement of the State and Federal agencies. Rohit Ranjan. Why hasnt anyone confirmed Mr. Lupianos list, in order to have an official tally to compare with the official estimate? Theres something special about cancer, said Richard Clapp, a cancer epidemiologist and a professor emeritus at Boston University. 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. And once againI couldnt do this without your help!! Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. While generally only life threatening if left untreated, radiation and surgical removal typically leaves individuals with numerous debilitations including chronic headaches, balance issues, fatigue, deafness, slurred speech, inability to blink, and facial paralysis (to name only a few), and that assumes it doesnt begin to regrow in the future. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. It was Lupiano, who is an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, who started connecting the dots. 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 . 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