N.B. responds to cancer allegations

BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

In light of a recent lawsuit filed by the wife of a Board of Education member against North Brunswick, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson, the township has released information regarding the contamination at the North Brunswick Township High School.

“North Brunswick Town-ship and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection [NJDEP] have been proactive in evaluating the possibility of health risks and have taken preventative measures to reduce the potential current and future exposure of the residents to the contamination. Funding has been provided for investigatory and remediation activities, as well as for planning and implementing remedial activities and limiting access to the site when necessary,” Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack said.

Phyllis Kristjanson, the wife of school board member Curtis Kristjanson, filed a motion on Dec. 9 claiming that her renal cancer, diagnosed in 1997, was a direct result of the well water she ingested while living at Wood Avenue for the first 14 years of her life during the 1950s.

According to her attorney, George Hendricks of New Brunswick, the family recently became informed of the high arsenic levels found at the site and produced a link between her illness and the chemicals.

“The well water then, that’s the issue,” he said. “If you live next to a gas station or a landfill with groundwater, you may have a problem anywhere. City water is okay.”

However, Womack stressed that the contamination levels at the site have been continually monitored and that the township is not aware of any possible liability in the lawsuit.

“As with every lawsuit, the plaintiff is left to prove their case, but nothing we have ever been presented with has ever indicated that this poses a health risk under the circumstances,” he said.

To ease the worries of township residents, Womack has posted several statistics from The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) on the township Web site at www.northbrunswickonline.com.

According to the township:

• The experts from NJDEP, NJDHSS and Powell-Harpstead, Inc. do not consider groundwater ingestion as potential pathway for contaminants from the high school since the area around the site is serviced by a public water system that is routinely monitored and groundwater at the school site and surrounding areas is not used as a source of drinking water.

• Cancer incidents data from 1979 through 2001 reviewed for the township and Middlesex County show that the number and distribution of cancer types in the county did not appear to be unusual when compared to the state. The data for North Brunswick has been analyzed by gender and age group and does not show any unusual occurrence of any type of cancer. The patterns of cancer incidence in the township appear to be consistent with state and county patterns.

• Scientists believe that only about 2 percent of cancer cases are related to the environment. When cancer is due to contact with cancer-causing agents, it usually takes 10-30 or more years for the cancer to develop. Generally, cancer results from lifestyle factors including smoking cigarettes, lack of exercise, drinking heavily, diet, communicable diseases, reproductive patterns, family history, genetics and sexual behavior.

• The National Cancer Institute estimates that the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer is 46 percent among men and 38 percent among women. The risk of developing cancer increases with age. Cancer consists of over 100 different diseases with different risk factors for each; therefore, it is difficult to pinpoint one cause for many different types of cancer.

Although the Board of Education was originally named as a defendant in the lawsuit, school board attorney Anthony Vignuolo said the board has been dismissed by both Phyllis and Curtis Kristjanson as a responsible party. Spokesmen for both Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson declined comment due to pending litigation.

During the expansion and renovation phase at the high school in 2003, a contractor found high levels of hazardous and nonhazardous chemicals, including lead, zinc, copper and arsenic.

The school was originally constructed in 1971, and the land below the high school foundation and footings was examined with no indication of contamination. Although the site is claimed to have never been part of a landfill, there was a presence of garbage, rubble and broken glass in the “oval” area in front of a soccer goal, according to the school board. Continued testing by the NJDEP, which investigated the incident, and the Middlesex County Department of Health reported there was no evidence of contamination.

Mrs. Kristjanson is seeking “adequate compensation for her injuries and for her future care,” according to Hendricks.

A copy of the fact sheet can be obtained by calling Womack at (732) 247-0922 ext. 430.