Colonia High School Brain Tumors: New Jersey Cancer Cluster Causes Concern

[Marlin]

Colonia High School Brain Tumors: New Jersey Cancer Cluster Causes Concern

My main focus is still on determining if ionizing radiation is the cause of these tumor and other rare cancers.

Getting scrutiny in the controversy is the now-closed Middlesex Sampling Plant, which is a half hour away from Colonia.
It "was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende" that were "imported for use in the nation's 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.

The Army Corps of Engineers has a lengthy fact sheet on that plant. It says,The Middlesex Sampling Plant is located at 239 Mountain Avenue in Middlesex, New Jersey. The facility, which includes several buildings on 9.6 acres, was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende. These ores, imported for use in the nation's early atomic energy program, were assayed at the Middlesex Sampling Plant and then shipped to other sites for processing. The site received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores from the 1940s until 1967, at which time the facility was decontaminated to the standards in effect at the time. 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. 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. In 1980's, the contaminated residential properties were cleaned up, and the excavated soil was stored at the site in a specially constructed pile, known as the Vicinity Properties (VP) pile. Also in the 1980's, the contaminated materials disposed of at the MML were excavated, brought back to the site and stored in a specially constructed pile, known as the MML pile. In 1997, the contaminated process building was demolished, and the steel stockpiled for recycling. In 1998 the Corps of Engineers recycled and disposed of the stockpiled steel. In addition the Corps disposed of 33,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the (MML) pile. In 1999, the Corps prepared an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) to address the Vicinity Property (VP) pile remaining at the site. Between August 1999 and November 1999, the Corps disposed of 35,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the VP pile. A Record of Decision (ROD) for Soils was signed September 2005. Remedial Action in accordance with this ROD was completed in FY08.


https://heavy.com/news/colonia-high-school-brain-tumors-cancers/

[Mounder]

I'm not buying that the remaining contaminants here could lead to brain cancers.  Per the EPA contaminants list, there's buried asphalt contaminants, lead and uranium ore isotopes.  Nothing that screams the brain being the target organ.  That location is pretty industrial/urban with the junkyard next door and plenty of commercial plants that might have more-relatable chemical contaminants.