Before being devastated by a hurricane in 1960, Cliffwood Beach, NJ was a hot vacation spot that drew comparisons to Brooklyn's Coney Island. Earlier:Some in Colonia not satisfied after no radiological hazards found at school. 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. Ive requested a few pieces of historical data, trying to determine the history of the site prior to the construction of the HS. For a community desperate for sense-making answers, it may be a bitter truth: There is more cancer around us than we can comprehend, and yet not enough to make scientific sense of. Some people will not be convinced.. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. But many in the community do not accept them. Powered by. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . Find Us . As luck would have it, my wife and sister where both assigned the same doctor to handle their treatment. We all grew up in Woodbridge Township, but I lived in Iselin miles away from where she grew up in Colonia. said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. Gov. 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 . MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Search warrants unsealed Tuesday revealed more about what police were looking for, and what . ", 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. It is possible that soil from the plant had been trucked to Colonia High School during its construction in 1967, according to the NJ Spotlight. Others told NJ.com they want a remote learning option until the investigation is complete. If I trusted those numbers, I would be relieved, and I would be happy, she said. 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 . The analysis can back with PCBs above federal and state standards as well as pesticides that were banned in 1988," she said. By the time students let out for the summer, the case was closed. 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 . But patience appears to be wearing thin among some in the community, judging by the petition. 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. And thats not the case. The town announced in May that there were no traces of radioactivity found in the school. Colonia Park Mall in court over $200,000 in bills 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. This is only one of many, many tests that can be performed. And once againI couldnt do this without your help!! Im optimistic we may see action in the next few days. observed in 1990. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The victims all went to Colonia High School in Woodbridge in New Jersey . She made it five years, said Jason Wisinski to the television station. Several news agencies have reached out to me and I anticipate the completed articles and interviews will be released shortly. 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. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 02:45 PM EST. The perception of a cluster in a community may be as important as, or more important than, an actual cluster, the C.D.C. According to the television station, the sisters graduated from Colonia High School. "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. Pollution gets cleaned up or dissipates into the air. Komorek said the school should be thoroughly tested for PCBs from indoor air through building materials and soil. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fellow graduates from the Woodbridge Township school developed the same rare brain tumor and graduated between the years 1975 to 1995. Trn Khai Nguyn High School. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School . NJ high school linked to mystery cancer cases. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to primary malignant brain tumors at the age of 38, became one of many convinced that a cluster a hyperlocal blight of cancer could explain why so many young residents were succumbing to tumors. A high school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, is being investigated by environmental experts . HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) James Hudock, a former chemistry teacher who was promoted to vice principal at the Hazleton Area High School . Further explanation of what occurred at that high school over these decades of people being in the building," Lupiano said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. They may seek answers where there are not any or where they are impossible to dredge out. 100 families having to be told the terrible news. Colonia High School Brain Tumors: New Jersey Cancer Cluster Causes Concern, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Any opinions expressed are his own. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Lupiano started the quest for answers, using Facebook to compile similar cases of people who worked or were students at Colonia High School. We all of us attended Colonia High School. 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. Since posting this a few days ago, the current number of confirmed (as of 1900 hours, 3/14) has now grown to 61 individuals. Could that be the link? 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. McCormac said he has seen Komorek's findings and consulted with the superintendent of schools. As first reported on New Jersey 101.5, Al Lupiano, a former Colonia High School student, was the one responsiblefor linking the people together. "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. More than 100 former students and staff at the school have been diagnosed . Cancer does not awaken all at once. An alumnus of Colonia High School in Woodbridege, N.J. is investigating his former high school, claiming he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there to have had a rare brain tumor . Thats not body cancers and general tumorsthats 80 rare primary brain tumors! 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. Al Lupiano, a graduate of Colonia High School, tells Fox News Digital that since posting his theory about an apparent link between brain tumor diagnoses in 1990s and early 2000s graduates of Colonia High School including himself, his wife and his sister, who recently died of cancer on Facebook in March, he has gathered the names of at least 110 graduates with rare brain tumors. Over and over, the facts spoke for themselves all were alumni of CHS from approximately 1975 1995. That means we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people. He concedes no soil or dust samples were collected when the township conducted its own tests, but adds that Komoreks findings need further validation. Print |. 2023 www.mycentraljersey.com. Her sister Cheryl Black died of brain cancer in 2015. Legal Statement. 27 /r/newjersey, 2023-02-22, 22:36:15 Permalink. Wish me luck! The township shared the information with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health. However, the agency accepts a greater responsibility for helping communities cope with this uncertainty and the lack of resolution that often characterizes these investigations. Colonia High School cancer probe -- test results expected? The schools social media accounts have been quiet about the brain tumors. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. And the soil was right below where the caulking is.". It confers such chaos into the people who are affected by it.. "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 . '", Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. (In one scientific review of 428 cancer cluster investigations over 21 years, for example, just one in eight cases was a confirmed increase in cancer, and only one investigation revealed a definitive source.). Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Lupiano has been posting lengthy updates to his Facebook page: 4/11 UPDATE: 100as of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor. 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. 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. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. 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. My sister and siblings attended Lynn Crest, Colonia Middle, and Colonia High School. "People have to stop using the word cancer cluster. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a true cancer cluster must be a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases of the same type of cancer or those proven to have the same cause, within a specific population over a set time. Keep the information coming! Lupiano, however, says Woodbridge Mayor McCormac is the only government official who has reached out to him for information. Never did I think when I started this post I would hit this number! $9 Million Contract from National Cancer Institute Awarded for NJ State Cancer Registry. 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.. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. In a conversation with NJSpotlight, Al Lupiano said that asecret World War II lab in Middlesex Borough, called the Middlesex Sampling Plant, is said to have been used during the Manhattan Project,a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. Findings from an environmental review did not find any evidence of cancer-causing hazards at Colonia High School. 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