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fraaankie485 OP t1_ixe4n4i wrote

Reply to comment by Irlydidnthaveachoice in Colonia High School soil and air tested again in continuing cancer probe by fraaankie485

As a resident of Woodbridge, hearing and seeing the news when this first hit was on everyone’s lips. Once the rounds of testing came back, it was basically said that there was no need for anymore testing. But no answers. The mayor at one point wouldn’t even take messages about this. He hid from it for a brief moment. But people kept pushing. And they have to continue to push for better answers.

I’m not saying he covered anything up. I’m saying he didn’t want anymore testing because of the National exposure. What mayor wants to deal with this? I’m sure none but they have to step up to the plate. He never stepped up and did the bare minimum.

He lives only a short slip from the school, his biggest concern his political image. His daughter never went to the HS because she was enrolled in a private school so this issue doesn’t affect him directly since his child or himself or wife never attended the school. But people want clear and consistent answers and unfortunately the residents and patients and victims aren’t getting the answers. Spend all the money they want to get it, but when it comes down to it, he wants it swept under the rug and to move on.

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angusshangus t1_ixeyhem wrote

Isn’t it more of a BOE responsibility? The mayor doesn’t typically have much say over the schools.

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fraaankie485 OP t1_ixez2ys wrote

Normally yes. But in Woodbridge BOE elected, many are Mayor Mac Team so he has a hand in BOE doings. “Column A Mac’s Team”

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Irlydidnthaveachoice t1_ixfwn22 wrote

Your fallacy is you will not accept the results. You want there to a a neatly package answer but in all likelihood that is just not going to happen. This is not some fiction novel that conveniently starts with tragedy and ends with a satisfying conclusion.

1 in 3 people get cancer and 1 in 5 die from it. The exact cause can often be evasive because cancer is not responsive as a light switch, it can take years or decades to be found.

Regarding the additional testing, > That kind of follow-up could have the opposite effect, said Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s commissioner of environmental protection, and send “the wrong message” that the suspicions deserved any more resources than what had already been invested.

> One month later, Mayor McCormac echoed this sentiment to me: “It’s frustrating that people who hoped that there was no radiation on the site now are upset that there’s not,” he said. “They asked us to do this, and we did it. We did exactly what they wanted.”

The Township did not hid from this. They did exactly what needed to be done. The issue is folks have a predetermined narrative. The school is toxic and we will not stopping testing until that is proven true.

> When the state health department calculated the number of brain and other nervous system tumors that would be expected among the cohort of students and staff from 1968 to 2021, it concluded it could be up to 120 individuals — just slightly under Mr. Lupiano’s count of about 125 (though he believes his tally is an undercount). At least one epidemiologist I spoke to for this article told me that, just glancing at the numbers, he wasn’t surprised that public officials have determined Colonia was not a true cluster.

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Yimpa_aum t1_ixgfiqv wrote

“The issue is folks have a predetermined narrative.”

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So are you claiming that science and government is above that? C’mon, give me a break.

We are all in this together; I’d prefer we all learn from each other rather than fighting. This is an opportunity to advance science and possibly create better policies in government regarding toxic chemicals - that is, if the new investigation does find new concerns.

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zincink t1_ixy96pe wrote

We aren’t far away from toxic Linden and air travels. The schools are old and years ago they always had roofing issues. The incinerator burning medical waste and lots of other questionable things they ship in for decades doesn’t help either. “The Bayway Refinery in Linden alone in 2012 dumped 2,084,440 pounds of toxins including ethylene glycol, lead and lead compounds, sec-butyl alcohol, and toluene into the Morses Creek watershed, which feeds the Arthur Kill. All of these toxins cause either cancer, developmental or reproductive problems”.

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