Because I dont think its right to say theres no threat to teachers and students if you didnt take a single soil or groundwater sample.. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. By that time, we hope the federal agencies are going to take over. Colonia High School (Google Maps) Middlesex County's Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, has made national headlines in recent weeks after over 100 former students and faculty. In 1999 when Lupiano was 27, he too was diagnosed with a large acoustic neuroma on the left side of his brain. Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Head trauma could put people at higher risk of brain cancer, Actress beaten by stranger, diagnosed with brain tumor and run over by car, My wife thought she had baby brain it was deadly cancer, My face is melting off due to a rare disease, Chill Hip hop 37(932007) 212soundworks, American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Print |. . Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. McCormac, who lives three blocks from Colonia High School,is not yet convinced of a link. He had developed 'rare' brain tumor some 20 years ago. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, READ MORE: Former Woodbridge, N.J. resident says 65 people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School have had rare brain tumors. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. And it's not just the school that could be at risk. "Al has presented enough evidence that warrants further attention, but we have to rely on the experts to draw their conclusions.". But where? The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began. The school was built back in 1967 on acres of empty land, with McCormac telling the news network he is stumped as to what could be causing the cancers. Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmental scientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is . We're just doing it," said Mayor John E. McCormac. McCormac speaks highly of Lupiano, who worked for nine years after college with EPA emergency responders. I pray we find answers(as of 18:00 4/11, the list stands at 102 individuals). His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. On Tuesday after a public push by Lupiano local officials approved an emergency probe of the school. "The high school was the first thing to be there, so there was probably nothing in the ground at that time," he said. Since . But he made a promise to his late sister that he would find out. The review article looked at 567 cancer cluster investigations over 20 years. An environmental assessment began last month to test the school grounds, which turned up no findings of radiological contaminants, according to NJ.com, a New Jersey news site. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. Since starting his research, Lupiano said that number has increased to about 90 people, including about 10 who were school staff members, some who worked in the cafeteria and others from the athletic department. How will officials determine if a true cancer cluster exists? 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Know What It Is, Nagaland Minister Pokes Fun At G20 Flower Pots Theft Accused, This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. He thinks the cases stem from contaminated soil, but there's no data to prove that at this point. Al Lupiano is a Colonia High School graduate and environmental scientist who was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. The number of people is so small that we don't know how many cancers you'd expect , she said. Since the initial post, Lupiano has published a list of 115 people who attended or worked at Colonia and were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, according to news reports. First published on May 4, 2022 / 10:52 PM. "Dozens of people have asked me to help them find a way to have a brain scan since they have been having signs and symptoms something may be wrong, but due to lack of insurance or not being able to afford the deductible, have not been able to have an MRI scan," Lupiano wrote in a Facebook post. 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR IN US HISTORY DUE TO COVID-19, DRUG OVERDOSES. Twentyyears earlier, he was also diagnosed with an aggressive 36-millimeter acoustic neuroma. WOODBRIDGE - The township has approved an emergency contract of $221,350 for an engineering firm to conduct radiological assessments at Colonia High School, following a 1989 graduate's. Lupiano says he has a solution, that he's negotiated with the Manhattan-based Brain Tumor Foundation to provide free MRI brain screenings to anyone who may want one. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. "The only thing that could have happened, potentially, was fill that was brought in during construction. Its overwhelming. Lupiano began researching to see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors. ", In an earlier update, Lupiano said many of those who reached out to him about their brain tumor or cancer cases "are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . ", Colonia High School entrance. "It was clearly alarming enough that it merited further attention and I just helped him get that attention. I still dont know what Im going to do with my kids, Komorek told NJ.com. #braincancer #glioblastoma #braintumor #radiation #medicalmystery #doctor. An environmental study of Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey that took place after 94 former students and staff developed brain tumors found no evidence of "cancer . I will uncover the truth.. Colonia High School Costello-Greiner Funeral Home - Woodbridge Sunday, January 1, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory Sandra Wilson Sandra Wilson was born to Sarah Wilson and James Bradley on November. 100 stories of shock and disbelief with the diagnosis. COLONIA, N.J. (WCBS 880) A New Jersey town is planning to conduct environmental testing at a high school after dozens of alumni and others connected to the institution developed rare brain tumors. Check the photos below. "To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. Back in March, Colonia High graduate Al Lupiano posted his theory about possible links between brain tumors diagnoses among 1990s and early 2000s graduates of Colonia High and since then, he gathered the names of at least 110 grads with brain tumors, according to Fox News Digital. Lupiano said he has had meetings with county, state and federal agencies, which he said in a March 25 post "are going well.". Lupiano's sister, however, another Colonia alumnus, recently died from brain cancer -- and MyCentralJersey.com reports brother Al promised her before she died that he'd find out why the tumors were occurring in the specific community. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. 100 families having to be told the terrible news. And all three were diagnosed with rare forms of brain cancers or tumors on the left side of their brains. It is his belief my wife and I may be the first documented case of spouses having an AN, both roughly the same size and on the same side of the headaccording to him, the odds are maybe 1 in a BILLION," Lupiano said. "This is terrific news for the current students of Colonia High School and their parents who worried about their safety, along with current staff members. The announcement comes on the heels of the development that a New Jersey man who graduated from the high school that he believes is linked to a mysterious cluster of brain tumors dating back decades -- and to his own diagnosis -- says he's gotten a New York City-based foundation signed on to offer free brain scans to people in the community who may not otherwise have access. Researchers need to ask themselves, for example, whether an apparent cluster could reflect the fact that many cancer victims are older, or whether their tumors may have been caused by radiation that was used to cure some other illness, he said. A look back: Al Lupiano was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma, a . NBCLX storyteller Peter Hull walks you through the research. The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and on school grounds, according to NJ Spotlight News. DeCillis earned her doctorate of nursing practice from Rutgers Universityin 2015. WOODBRIDGE, NJ Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition demanding a more robust investigation from the state of New Jersey and the federal government regarding a possible, unconfirmed cancer. (Al Lupiano), "[A]s of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor," Luapiano said in an update on his Faceboook post. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. While the family had hoped to move forward following the operation, tests . Many of the former staff and teachers included in the total lived outside Woodbridge Township making the high school, so far, the only clear link. The health department also looked at brain cancer rates for Colonia High School and compared them to rates of brain cancer throughout New Jersey and the United States. His sister Angela Decillis. Schools Brain Tumor Link To Colonia High School 'Credible,' Town's Mayor Says A scientist's theory that a contaminant at the Woodbridge school is linked to 65 rare brain tumors is being taken . He went on to recover from the disease. If we dont find anything, we have to start looking at other potential candidates, whether its chemicals or something in the soil or air. Now, an investigation is underway to determine if the school Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey is linked with a cancer cluster. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. If it's an ongoing issue, we may have to go through this all over again in 10 to 20 years. According to agency estimates, about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer. Michele M. Vercoski, a partner of McCune Law Group, is investigating the potential link between the rare brain tumor and many former Colonia High School students out of the MLG's office in Newark, New Jersey. "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. More than 100 graduates of a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors over the past 30 years, prompting concern that there might be a connection between the school and the tumor cases. Researchers at Rice University are hoping to begin human clinical trials on a cancer treatment that fights the disease right at the site of the tumor. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Nearly 100 people attending a single high school in New Jersey have developed rare forms of brain cancer. WOODBRIDGE A New Jersey man is on amission to find a link between rare braintumors inmore than 60 graduates and former staff at Colonia High School, including his wife and late sister. For now, radiation levels in and around the school are being monitored in a two-week test that began on April 9 by a private contractor hired by the municipality. LaTourette said during the press conference every possible link to cancer was tested. "They'll have the means to do air sampling, water sampling and soil sampling," Lupiano told New Jersey 101.5. Colonia High School Officials conduct a radiological survey on the school's baseball field. "Her four children are potentially being exposed to the same thing that killed their mother. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. The canisters do not poseany danger and do not emit any substance, and are routinely used in homes, businesses and schools to collect radon measurements, township officials said. Its way too early to call it a cancer cluster, said Dr. Joseph Landolfi, chief medical officer at JFK Medical Center in Edison, and its director of neuro-oncology. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent publicity around the cases prompted an exhaustive new investigation and radiological testing at the Woodbridge Township School District building. Updated on: April 26, 2022 / 8:21 AM Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare brain tumors on the same day. But to date we dont have any environmental factors that are known to cause brain tumors.. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. While benign, treatment can leave victims with hearing loss, trouble balancing, and several other serious symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Among the others diagnosed with brain cancer was Lupianos younger sister, who passed away from the disease in February at the age of 44. Stanmyre: Right now, the number this week is up to 117 people who have been found to have a primary brain tumor of some sorts, according to data from Al Lupiano, who is the Colonia graduate who. 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. Donavyn was a Fulbright Fellow to Denmark where she studiedmolecular nutrition and food policy. Why? In the United States, the rate of new cases of brain cancer or other nervous system cancer is 6.3 cases per 100,000 people per year, according to the National Institutes of Health. Views expressed by our advertisers and sponsors are their own, and are not endorsed by NJ Spotlight News. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. In early March, Al Lupiano, 50, of Jamesburg, a 1989 Colonia High School graduate, posted on Facebook that his 44-year-old sister, Angela DeCillis, a 1995 Colonia High School graduate,died inFebruary from a rare,highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor on the left side of her brain, that had been diagnosed in August 2021. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick told CBS New York the school, which was built in 1967, was built on "virgin land" in the woods. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding, in part, students return to remote learning. All rights reserved. The EPA says that inhaling radon for a long time increases your risk of lung cancer. Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. This is definitely not normal," the mayor further said in the statement. COLONIA, N.J. -- There is a growing push to go back to remote learning at one New Jersey high school, but not because of COVID fears. The four-year high school has more than 1,300 students. McCormack said the town wants local and federal involvement in the investigation. The vast majority dont have a cause that explains the cluster, said Laumbach, who is leading a federal study into the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), so-called forever chemicals, among 1,300 residents of Paulsboro in Gloucester County. "If I was a parent with a child in the school, I'd be literally sick to my stomach thinking, is my child at risk right this second?" Al Lupiano graduated from the Middlesex County school in 1989. Lupiano was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in the late 1990s, at the age of 27. For a better-informed future. Why is the cancer that killed John McCain so deadly? Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. In a memo to the school community, superintendent Joseph Massimino wrote, "Remote instruction is only available in the event of an active health crisis or emergency.". To find something like this is a significant discovery, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of New Jerseys top neuro-oncologists, told the outlet. When Lupiano was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981 more. At 102 individuals ) Hull walks you through the research storyteller Peter Hull walks you through research... Was 27, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in the same neighborhood is an.. To Denmark where she studiedmolecular nutrition and food policy ( as of 18:00 4/11 the. Data to prove that at this point, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of the are. 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