New Claims Of Toxic Chemicals Found At Colonia High School

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — In a letter sent home to parents Monday night, the Woodbridge school district said it is investigating all-new claims of potential toxic chemicals at Colonia High School.

Last spring, a 1989 Colonia High School grad said he found 121 cases of brain cancer in Colonia grads, and theorized there could be a link to the high school. The Woodbridge school district and Township said they took his theories seriously, and conducted extensive soil and air testing at Colonia High School, ultimately finding nothing.

Now this week, the mother of two current Colonia High students said she did her own testing and found "evidence of highly toxic chemicals" at the high school, NJ.com reported. Edyta Komorek, who works as an environmental scientist, said she collected and tested dust, window caulk and soil samples from the high school, all of which came back positive for high levels of PCBs, chlordane, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide, according to their report. All of those chemicals are carcinogenic.

Woodbridge school superintendent Joseph Massimino said he met with the woman Monday afternoon and sent her findings to state health and environmental authorities. The Woodbridge school district will wait to hear back from them before they investigate further, he said.

"Earlier today (Monday), I met with two parents who raised specific concerns and shared results from additional environmental testing, performed by them over the last two months at Colonia High School," said Massimino in the letter sent home to parents Monday night.

Massimino said immediately after meeting with the parents, he "immediately contacted our environmental consultants, the Woodbridge Health Department and Township officials to review the information."

Woodbridge Township also shared Komorek's findings with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the state Department of Health, said the superintendent.

"We understand that the state authorities will be forwarding this information to appropriate federal agencies," he wrote. "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."

Over the span of several weeks this past May, air and soil testing was done at Colonia High School, said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.

Tests turned up no evidence of radon or radiological contamination.

"This building and grounds are consistent with the typical background levels of radiation found in New Jersey, and is in fact at the lower end," said DEP Commissioner LaTourette, in this press conference the state held in the Colonia High School gym on May 26. "We looked at the the geology of the area, known contaminating sites within the vicinity, the history of land use of this area, etc."

Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac said the federal Environmental Protection Agency "agrees with and supports our findings."

Related: Woodbridge: No Cancer-Causing Radiation Found At Colonia High School (May 2022)