WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The 28-acre campus of Colonia High School remains the focal point of a complex investigation into an alleged cancer cluster in Woodbridge Township. What began as a citizen-led aggregation of rare brain tumor cases has evolved into a multi-phase audit involving state epidemiological standards, municipal radiological testing, and an upcoming federal soil remediation mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
To date, the investigation consists of two distinct operational fronts: the completed state audit of radiological hazards and the ongoing federal oversight of chemical soil remediation. The physical reality of the site is defined by a sharp divide between the community's lived experience of illness and the state's rigid epidemiological baselines.
Arguments For an Anomaly: The Citizen Catalyst
The investigation was triggered in early 2022 by Al Lupiano, a 1989 Colonia High School graduate and environmental scientist. After his wife and sister were diagnosed with rare brain tumors in the same year, and considering his own 1999 diagnosis of an acoustic neuroma, Lupiano began aggregating similar cases among alumni and staff.
Verified Claim Datasets
Primary Aggregator: Al Lupiano (1989 CHS Graduate).
Target Cohort Timeline: Students and staff attending between 1968 and 2021.
Reported Case Count: Approximately 125 primary brain and central nervous system tumors.
Primary Tumor Types: Acoustic neuroma (benign) and glioblastoma multiforme (malignant).
Statistical Probability Claim: Medical professionals informed the Lupiano family that the odds of a husband and wife developing the exact same rare tumor (acoustic neuroma) of similar size on the same side of the head were approximately one in a billion.
Lupiano argued the concentration of these specific neurological conditions within a single suburban high school cohort warranted an immediate physical audit of the grounds.
"At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not," Lupiano stated during the initial push for testing. "If we don't find anything, we have to start looking at other potential candidates, whether it's chemicals or something in the soil or air."
Expressing frustration with the initial speed of the bureaucratic response, Lupiano noted verbatim: "Frankly, until I see boots on the ground, this is nothing more than lip service."
Arguments Against an Anomaly: The State Epidemiological Baseline
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) and independent consulting epidemiologists evaluated the public claims against the New Jersey State Cancer Registry. They utilized the Standardized Incidence Ratio methodology to calculate the exact number of tumors that would naturally occur in a population of that size over a 53-year period.
Verified State Epidemiological Datasets
Total Population Evaluated: Estimated 15,000 former students and staff.
Expected Student Cases (1968–2021): 98 to 105 primary brain and central nervous system tumors.
Expected Staff Cases (Lifetime): 13 to 14 primary brain and central nervous system tumors.
Total Expected Baseline: Approximately 120 combined cases.
Registry Comparison: The 07067 zip code (Colonia) records a brain cancer rate of 6.8 per 100,000 residents, while the heavily industrialized 07036 zip code (Linden), located downwind of the regional refineries, records 8.4 per 100,000 residents.
Because the aggregated public count of 125 cases aligned almost exactly with the state's mathematical expectation of approximately 120 combined cases, the NJDOH officially ruled the school was not a cancer cluster.
Dr. Anthony Chiurco, the former chief of neurosurgery at University Medical Center of Princeton, publicly evaluated the data and supported the state's mathematical conclusion.
"Approximately 115 brain tumors over a 30-year period among 15,000 population equates to 0.76%, which is compatible with the incidence in the general population," Chiurco stated in early May 2022. He added his perspective on the public reaction: "I think it is overblown... People are hysterical over this. It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble, but what you know for sure that just ain't so."
Municipal Action and Radiological Testing
Despite the state epidemiological rulings, Woodbridge Township authorized emergency funding to conduct a physical site assessment. The municipal government retained private contractors to scan the 28-acre property.
Financial and Technical Datasets
Municipal Emergency Authorization: $450,000 total allocation.
Primary Contractor: T&M Associates.
Subcontractor: Cabrera Services.
Testing Mechanics: 83 alpha track detectors (radon) and comprehensive gamma radiation scanning.
Physical Results: All radon samples registered below the 4.0 pCi/L maximum contaminant level. Zero ionizing radiation hazards were detected.
Following the negative results, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli stated: "No radiological hazards have been identified that warrant further investigation."
Woodbridge Township School District Superintendent Joseph Massimino later recounted the municipal jurisdiction's closure of the radiation theory.
"The tests came back with no sign of ionizing radiation or any kind of radiation at that point," Massimino stated. "At that point, we then said, OK, is there anything further we need to do? And the answer was no, because if you're looking for an environmental connection to primary brain tumors or central nervous disorders, you would be looking for radiation. That was not discovered. So at that point, the case was considered closed."
The Pivot to Chemical Remediation
The physical reality of the site shifted in late 2022 when independent testing revealed historical chemical contamination. This discovery forced the investigation out from under exclusive state and municipal control and triggered the involvement of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Verified Contaminant Datasets
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Identified in the exterior soil localized around the building foundation. Attributed to the weathering of 1970s-era legacy window caulking.
Chlordane and Heptachlor: Identified in the shallow subsurface. Attributed to standard structural termite treatments applied during the school's 1967 construction phase.
Indoor Air Quality: Evaluated by the NJDOH against EPA guidelines. Levels registered below federal thresholds and were deemed safe for student and staff occupancy.
Because the contamination is categorized as non-migratory and bound to the exterior soil, the building remains operational. However, the exterior grounds are now subject to a mandated federal remediation framework.
Woodbridge Township School District Superintendent Joseph Massimino provided the current administrative reality regarding the cleanup timeline.
"The goal is to have that remediated this summer. We're hopeful. This summer, this fall," Massimino stated. "The DEP and EPA has to sign off on that plan. So where we're at right now is T&M, our environmental consultants, have finished the delineation. They are now working on the remediation plan with the federal and state agencies. Once they sign off on the plan, they will execute some plan, which should close the case."
The Colonia High School campus currently sits in a bureaucratic holding pattern awaiting federal authorization to excavate the contaminated soil while the community continues to confront the rigid statistical boundaries of state epidemiology.
Primary Sources and Citations:
New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). Expected Number of Brain and Other Central Nervous System Tumors Among Students and Employees at Colonia High School. Published May 24, 2022.
Woodbridge Township Municipal Council. Emergency Authorization Resolution. Passed April 5, 2022.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). Summary Report: Radiological Investigation for Colonia High School. Published May 26, 2022.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program Data. 2023–2024 reporting cycles for Union and Middlesex Counties.
Woodbridge Township School District. Public Statements and Community Updates by Superintendent Joseph Massimino. October 2022 and February 2025.
T&M Associates. Colonia High School Subsurface Delineation and Remedial Action Plan Briefings. 2024–2025.
Direct Quotes: Extracted from verified public press conferences, published state communications, and verified interviews with Al Lupiano, Mayor John McCormac, Commissioner Judith Persichilli, and Dr. Anthony Chiurco.
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