Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. An investigation has . Edyta Komorek, an environmental scientist and mother of a Colonia High School rising junior and freshman, was not pacified by the results. But where did the exposure come from? Some workers, such as miners and firefighters, are exposed to known carcinogens during their careers. But some still want more. Lng Th Vinh High School. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School . Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. Lupiano, his wife . 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. As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation. It's going to have PCBs, they all do. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano is among 94 former students and staff from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, who have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. But in the field of public health, cancer clusters are defined by statistics, not gut instincts. Ive done the leg work for them and gathered the data for the last 6 months. is continuing. "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. Is cancer spreading at a New Jersey high school? 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. In Woodbridge and elsewhere, unresolved concerns regardless of whether more can be done, scientifically can seed deep distrust and suspicion in suspected cluster communities. While I have spent countless hours gathering data, I simply havent had enough time to get others involved. My three siblings graduated class of 91, 95, and 98. I have made this shareable from my personal page if you would like to sharethank you for your assistance! She sent them to independent laboratories and says the results were alarming. 89. Find Us . The victims all went to Colonia High School in Woodbridge in New Jersey . Taking the next steps to begin the investigation. She also suggested air sampling be done with closed windows to make sure indoor air is not diluted. They can find reasons to doubt. or redistributed. With confirmed cases now at 61 we have an incidence of 61 out of approximately 10,000 individuals. Anyone can read what you share. How was this possible? Remedial Action in accordance with this ROD was completed in FY08. Mr. Lupianos list of former classmates and staff members at Colonia High School with primary brain tumors hit 100 in April. 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.". Others told NJ.com they want a remote learning option until the investigation is complete. 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. The plant then "decontaminated to the standards in effect at the time," though "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," the USACE New York Division said on its website. Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. 100 PEOPLE WITH RARE TUMORS WHO ATTENDED SAME NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL DEMAND ANSWERS. Is the exposure ongoing? Photo credit Google Street View. Why would they include classes as recent as 2021 when we know many cancers take decades or longer to develop? Of special note: many are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. His . I pray we find answers(as of 18:00 4/11, the list stands at 102 individuals), 4/5 UPDATE: There has been quite a lot of news coverage nowKatie Tur of MSNBC, NJ Spotlight, Tap Into, Infolad, etc. "Im not sure what they will propose, but I hope this is going to include comprehensive soil, ground, water (testing)," she said. 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. Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? The television station reported that testing is ongoing. His sister Angela Decillis graduated . "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. Above, Jason Wisinski, with his daughter, Haylee, lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to primary brain tumors. 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 . Al Lupiano . We have to really take a look at it, said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac to ABC 7. They asked us to do this, and we did it. Colonia High School . Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. I don't get that," he said. Lupiano, however, says Woodbridge Mayor McCormac is the only government official who has reached out to him for information. 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. Facebook Colonia High School. The high school was evacuated and a HAZMAT team secured the rock in a lead-lined box. 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. 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. 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. "They kind of understand," Komorek said, adding her children have to start over with new classes, teachers and schoolmates. (Al Lupiano). 3/29 UPATE: The list has continued to grow, and now stands at 65 individuals. . There are PCBs everywhere," he said. My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day I talk to her all the time, Wisinski said. 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. Why? All rights reserved. It says. During my research, I uncovered a shocking number of our Woodbridge Township friends and family have also been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. The township shared the information with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health. 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. I needed more data. Something is wrong here, he said. Print |. 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. WASHINGTON (AP) Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presented an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby . 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 was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. The New Jersey Departments of Health (DOH) and Environmental Protection (DEP) say they are involved in an investigation into the apparent cancer cluster, though Lupiano says he has not received requests for information from either agency. Ive reached out to both the news and local newspapers, but have not received any interest. Officials also reviewed local data on naturally occurring radioactive deposits and followed up on reports of a radioactive rock discovered in a science classroom in 1997. ", 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. But Mr. Lupiano said he ultimately hopes one way or another to be assured that all is as it should be. Brian Thompson reports. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. (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. Why hasnt anyone confirmed Mr. Lupianos list, in order to have an official tally to compare with the official estimate? ", 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. 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. And once againI couldnt do this without your help!! "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. In 1999, the Corps prepared an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) to address the Vicinity Property (VP) pile remaining at the site. Dr. Marc Siegel discusses brain tumors that emerged among former Colonia High School students on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'. A high school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, is being investigated by environmental experts . 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