All three of them have since come down with rare brain disorders. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Several of these people have already died, according to Colonia High School graduate Al Lupiano, who said he was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 1999 in a now-viral Facebook post. 27 /r/newjersey, 2023-02-22, 22:36:15 Permalink. "Nothing indicates that the school building or property is unsafe," he added. She stressed more testing needs to be done on the schools East Street property to see if there are other sources of possible contamination, such as fill material, illegal past discharges, or contamination from other sites. "If we saw anything that said the school or the grounds were not safe, we would do something instantly. 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. "It's overwhelming. Its alarming because there are just so many people with a tumor malignant or benign, and its serious. If there are any potential environmental exposure pathways identified and a need for further environmental sampling, the state Health Department will work cooperatively with ATSDR to conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects. There never was a cancer cluster, Mr. McCormac said in June. Marion Renault is a health and science journalist. They may seek answers where there are not any or where they are impossible to dredge out. 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. Our children and Colonia High School staff deserve more involvement of the State and Federal agencies. It opens up more questions, more doubts, more anxieties, more concerns, he said. Im 99.99 percent convinced.. The updates also move to de-emphasize statistical significance as the main criterion for investigating suspected cancer clusters in order to make more room for other criteria, such as mortality and electronic health record data, neighborhood patterns of cancer and even community-created lists of individuals with cancer diagnoses. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. So, why am I asking for help? He was 52 years old. In 1997, the contaminated process building was demolished, and the steel stockpiled for recycling. This is an urgent call for actionI have two leads I am exploring on what may have caused this, but I need your help! said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. In the 1980[s], 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," the USACE New York Division's website states. To report that your child will be absent or late, call the Attendance Hotline: (732) 726-7040 I have made this shareable from my personal page if you would like to sharethank you for your assistance! 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. Even more troubling? My wife Michele class of 91. 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. Theres something special about cancer, said Richard Clapp, a cancer epidemiologist and a professor emeritus at Boston University. is continuing. Parents of students at Colonia High School wonder if the 1960s-era building is contaminated with mercury or formaldehyde. And when do you need to check your own biases and take patients concerns more seriously? The sizes of neighborhood clusters are often too small to yield statistically significant results. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. High School Lost My Transcript 16 /r/applyingtocollege, 2023-02-20, 17:42:41 Stage IV update 15 /r/pancreaticcancer . And suddenly, it hit me! Here are the best chocolates in New Jersey. The township shared the information with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health. Its very hard to pinpoint what it is that initiated that process.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Please, look at this. "People have to stop using the word cancer cluster. So, if not the neighborhood, what was the link? 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . V Th Su High 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. Lupiano, his wife . But she hopes the district will do more research. People move in and out of town. During my research, I uncovered a shocking number of our Woodbridge Township friends and family have also been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach . April 15, 2022 1:00 PM ET. 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. We recognized that communication guidance was an area that warranted attention, said Patrick Breysse, director of the C.D.C.s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in an email statement. Ive also started a sublist of what I am classifying as cases of interest due to several anomalies. Image: Unsplash. "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. 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 . So, if not localized exposure, and not something we inhaled or drank, what could be the link? Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 11:29 AM EST. In 1998 the Corps of Engineers recycled and disposed of the stockpiled steel. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. 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. Could that be the link? Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) James Hudock, a former chemistry teacher who was promoted to vice principal at the Hazleton Area High School . "I wasn't happy and I knew that they didn't do enough sampling, didn't test soil, groundwater tests for PCBs," Komorek said. Middlesex County's Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, has made national headlines in recent weeks after over 100 former students and facultywere found to have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. It was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende 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. Find Us . 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.. Lupiano believes theres a link between. "If we can enrich science by showing that an unknown compound is in high concentration and link it to primary brain tumors, maybe we can protect others, remove it from our environment to make sure it never happens again," he said. (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. And once againI couldnt do this without your help!! These ores, 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. Dozens of former teachers and students have . Ive done the leg work for them and gathered the data for the last 6 months. Several people raised questions to me about the state health departments analysis. 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. 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. My wife and I have known each other since meeting in grade school (Lynn Crest). Cancer does not awaken all at once. Nguyn Tri High School. 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Komorek said some studies suggest a relationship between exposure to PCBs and a greater risk of developing brain tumors. Was it the street or neighborhood where we grew up linking us? Humans are awash in potential cancer-causing agents, and it is practically impossible to determine the cause of a given case. Her sister Cheryl Black died of brain cancer in 2015. The soil sample also contained some pesticides. The agencies acknowledged their concerns regarding the potential cancer cluster, but are not conducting any testing aside from radiation and radon that the Township undertook, even though the school remains open. While I have spent countless hours gathering data, I simply havent had enough time to get others involved. Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas has the latest as 100+ have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey. All of the cases have ties to Colonia High School, either as students or employees. Lupiano started the quest for answers, using Facebook to compile similar cases of people who worked or were students at Colonia High School. By Ed Browne On 4/25/22 at 11:00 AM EDT. A Record of Decision (ROD) for Soils was signed September 2005. New Jersey dad fights to have daughter returned to the U.S. NJ state budget delivers another crushing blow to residents (Opinion), Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and EEO Report. Further explanation of what occurred at that high school over these decades of people being in the building," Lupiano said. How was this possible? 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. My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day I talk to her all the time, Wisinski said. As of right now (I need a breakhave to put this down for the night), the list has swelled to 80 cases! 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. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. Youre looking for footprints in the sand long after the tide has come and gone, said Dr. Clapp. Prove to us theres nothing, he said. 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. 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. We did exactly what they wanted.. 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. The Woodbridge School District superintendent at the time then added: Radioactivity is ubiquitous in the environment. 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. If I trusted those numbers, I would be relieved, and I would be happy, she said. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Of special note: many are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. See Al Luciano's entire NJSpotlight interview below. 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 . WASHINGTON (AP) Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presented an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby . Casey returns to the Senate after cancer surgery 11 hours ago . "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. We all of us attended Colonia High School. Like 6 Comments |. Lupiano, who is also an environmental scientist, and his wife Michelle-- both graduates of the high school -- were diagnosed with benign brain tumors 20 years apart. His . We need action! His most recent Facebook update, as of April 17, 2022, says that he has identified 102 cases. 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