Woodbridge To Make Major Announcement About Colonia High Cancer Probe

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — On Thursday afternoon, at 4 p.m., Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac will announce the results of a environmental safety study at Colonia High School. Update:

Woodbridge, State Say Testing Finds No Cancer-Causing Hazards At High School

The Woodbridge mayor will be joined by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, in what is expected to be a major announcement of their findings in regards to a possible brain cancer cluster at Colonia High School.

The press conference will be held at the East Street gymnasium entrance to Colonia High School, and livestreamed in real time on Woodbridge TV Channel 35 and here: http://www.twp.woodbridge.nj.u...

In mid April, the town of Woodbridge hired an outside environmental testing firm to test for elevated radon levels in the air at the high school. This was in response to findings from environmental scientist Al Lupiano of an unusually high number of brain cancers and brain tumors in Colonia High School graduates, now all adults.

Lupiano theorized that all the brain cancers/tumors could be linked to unknown toxins at the high school, be they in the air, water, soil or walls of the building.

While Mayor McCormac said he found Lupiano's theory "credible," no doctor or government agency has ever confirmed Lupiano's theory.

No direct causal link has been found between Colonia High School and Lupiano's findings.

Lupiano grew up in Woodbridge and graduated from Colonia High in 1989. He, his wife and his sister — all Colonia High grads — were all diagnosed with rare brain tumors. His sister died of brain cancer.

Lupiano said he has now found approximately 115 cases of people with cancer or brain tumors who either worked at or attended Colonia High School from 1975-1999. Lupiano has been publishing all of his research on his personal Facebook page.

The testing started April 9 and lasted for two weeks. Testers left radon canisters at the school for 14 days, which will test for elevated levels of radon. Woodbridge Township hired T&M Associates and Cabrera Services, Inc. to do the radon testing, paying them $221,350.

Except for when it was closed for spring break, Colonia High School has been open this entire time the testing was done, with thousands of students and teachers streaming in and out of the building each day.

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition demanding a more robust investigation from the state of New Jersey and even asking the federal government to get involved.

Mayor McCormac has always maintained that the state of New Jersey is supervising the radon testing, and that the results will be shared with the Centers for Disease Control.

Some parents also wanted Colonia High School to offer remote learning, something Woodbridge school superintendent Joe Massimino said would be impossible without an "active health crisis or emergency" declared by the state.

Massimino will also be a Thursday's press conference.

McCormac has long said the town expected to get the radon results back by the middle of May, and promised they would be shared immediately with the public.