Colonia High School - Cancer Links

[Leps12]

Originally Posted by VintageSunlight

The belief is that it's not natural radon, but radium, uranium, and thorium from the Manhattan project (possible fill from the Middlesex Sampling Plant superfund site, which was closed down the same year the high school was built). Still, you are correct that you would probably see lung cancer too.

Yes, seems like a pretty obvious red flag to me. One other interesting thing to note about radon is that you could find higher cancer rates linked to it that are not lung cancer because it can be in the water, so if you drink with it, cook with it, etc you may not be breathing it, but it still gets in there. However, and this is a VERY important caveat, this is only a risk if you are using well water. City water does not carry a radon risk, and luckily, the vast majority of NJ, including Woodbridge, uses city water.

[VintageSunlight]

Originally Posted by Leps12

Yes, seems like a pretty obvious red flag to me. One other interesting thing to note about radon is that you could find higher cancer rates linked to it that are not lung cancer because it can be in the water, so if you drink with it, cook with it, etc you may not be breathing it, but it still gets in there. However, and this is a VERY important caveat, this is only a risk if you are using well water. City water does not carry a radon risk, and luckily, the vast majority of NJ, including Woodbridge, uses city water.

Yes, but sometimes city water is well water. I am on "town" water but the town gets its water from wells scattered throughout the township. I'm not sure if the town aerates the water to get rid of the radon or not. This was true for Toms River as well, most residents are on "city" water but the Parkway wells were impacted.

I haven't looked into where Woodbridge gets its water, but I highly doubt it originates as well water. Most likely the Raritan River or a reservoir.

Even assuming they drink nasty Raritan River water, that doesn't explain why its limited only to a high school. Something else seems to be going on here.