Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. Both Lupiano, 50, and his wife Michele, 49, who is also a Colonia graduate, have acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor. "Colonia is not a mega high school. "Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. "The only thing that could have happened, potentially, was fill that was brought in during construction. 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. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. His wife was similarly diagnosed with an abnormally large AN tumor, and his sister was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which has an incident rate of 30 out of every 1 million people, Lupiano explained in a Facebook post that he has been updating since March 7. Why is the cancer that killed John McCain so deadly? Heres how it works. "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. Al Lupiano, his wife Michele, and his sister Angela DeCillis all graduated from CHS between 1989 and 1995. The township has filed an Open Public Records Act request with the state Department of Education to get files from 55 years ago when the school was built, the mayor said. Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. READ MORE: Former Woodbridge, N.J. resident says 65 people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School have had rare brain tumors. Mitesh Kapadia moved right next to Colonia High just a few years ago. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began investigating Colonia High School in Woodbridge when he realized several people who attended the school had rare tumors just like he had. Lupianowould liketheir investigators to come in over spring break so that students are not disturbed. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . The four-year high school has more than 1,300 students. The last case was a while ago, like 2000," Kapadia said. Lupiano began counting how many people associated with the town were effected. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. Last month, he started a Facebook group asking locals whether they knew of any other people associated with the school who had been stricken by similar diagnoses. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. For a better-informed future. for 7-year-old's rare brain cancer. He has reached out to the state Department of Health, Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for help which is reportedly still in the early stages, according to the CBS News report. All rights reserved. She worked for 16 years to help other rising nurses at Rutgers and RWJ Barnabas Health. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a cancer cluster just yet. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, "cases of cancer can appear to cluster even when there is no connection among them." He believes something at the high school in one of the more suburban and affluent sections of the township is responsible for dozens of brain cancer cases. The devoted brother promised his sister on her deathbed that he would get to the bottom of what was causing the apparent cancer cluster at Colonia High. 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, and is also great news for all former students who attended and staff who worked at Colonia High School.. McCormac speaks highly of Lupiano, who worked for nine years after college with EPA emergency responders. Dozens of former teachers and students have . ", Rick Rickman is the news assistant at New Jersey 101.5. A look back: Al Lupiano was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma, a . "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". He died 15 years ago from brain cancer. To find something like this is a significant discovery, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of New Jerseys top neuro-oncologists, told the outlet. More: 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting. All are awaiting results from the radiation testing at the school before deciding how to get involved and proceed with the investigation. The school has stayed open because there's no evidenced or discernible threat at this point, parents have said district officials told them, citing reports from local, state and federal investigators. / CBS News. Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. The school district's superintendent, Dr. Joseph Massimino, said in March that he was waiting to hear from the environmental agencies on next steps. A former Woodbridge man has identified 84 Colonia High School alumni and former staffers with rare brain tumors and wants health officials to investigate. But Lupiano was not initially sure that the high school was a link to the similar yet rare brain tumor cases until he made a request on Facebook for others who attended Colonia to reach out to him personally. "Al has presented enough evidence that warrants further attention, but we have to rely on the experts to draw their conclusions.". 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. While the family had hoped to move forward following the operation, tests . Over 100 former students and staff from a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors. Last year, his wife who also attended Colonia was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. (Google Maps). CBS News has reached out and is awaiting response from the principal of the school, superintendent and mayor as well as the Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. His sister had recently died of cancer. Since last August, Lupiano has spent countless hours trying to find other people linked to CHS with primary brain cancers. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Lupiano was diagnosed in 1999 with a benign tumor known as Acoustic Neuroma. I have a really bad feeling were going to find contamination beyond the high school. That's when Lupiano started looking into the connection. A cancer survivor is vowing to untangle the twisted mystery of why almost 100 people associated with a New Jersey high school have developed extremely rare malignant brain tumors. Until then, he knew of 15 former Colonia attendees who had been diagnosed with brain tumors. Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare brain tumors on the same day. The township and school district have had discussions and meetings with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the state Department of Health, the state Department of Environmental Protection and Rep. Frank Pallones office. NJ high school linked to mystery cancer cases. His wife. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," he told CBS News York. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. 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Former Colonia High School student Al Lupiano first decided to investigate when both his wife and his sister were diagnosed with brain tumors, two decades after he himself had suffered from. And I know that wears on my brother-in-law, it wears on my parents. The township announced results of an investigation. In a joint statement to CBS News, the New Jersey Department of Health and the state's Department of Environmental Protection said the agencies "are aware of the concerns raised by local residents, particularly as they relate to Colonia High School, and are partnering with Mayor McCormac and Woodbridge Township to better understand the issue and determine whether any relevant environmental exposure concerns are present at the site.". Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. Whittington a board-certified MD in California claimed several of the brain tumours developed by ex-Colonia High staff and students are glioblastoma multiforme an aggressive cancer which spreads to brain tissue. Advocates for an official investigation into fears of a "cancer cluster" at the Middlesex County high school say there are parallels to the notorious water system contamination in the Ocean County town that was blamed for more than 130 cases of childhood cancer in the 1990s. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. Earlier this year, Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist and Colonia High School graduate, discovered more than 115 people who spent time at the school had a rare brain tumor. I'm still helping him get more attention.". 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. The diagnoses include several types of primary brain tumors, including cancerous forms like glioblastoma and noncancerous yet debilitating masses such as acoustic neuromas, haemangioblastomas and meningiomas., Brain tumors at colonia high school. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, . But how will officials figure out if a true cancer cluster exists or if the cases are simply a coincidence? His wife was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, and his sister was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Meanwhile, the TikTok video sparked panic and a range of conspiracy-theory style comments, with people claiming mold, toxic waste, asbestos and nearby cellphone towers could all be causing the cluster. All these photos are from AP and Getty publications, meaning they were used in a magazine or newspaper. Age, exposure to radiation and family history are all risk factors. Today we are very happy to announce that our extensive testing for both radon and radiation in the interior and exterior of the school building produced no evidence of cancer-causing hazards that warrant further investigation, said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac during the press conference posted on the townships Youtube page. For people who graduated recently, the chances of having cancer now is much lower than those in their 70s and 80s, he said. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, I make $80k selling nudes to pay for cancer treatment men love bald look, Jimmy Carters niece says former president still has some time in him, Experts say youve been storing potatoes wrong this whole time and shut down cancer rumors, Joe Exotics doctors suspect he has bladder cancer but hes refusing treatment: report. If it's an ongoing issue, we may have to go through this all over again in 10 to 20 years. After his sisters death in February, Lupiano became convinced of a link between the Colonia campus and the brain cancers that he, his wife and his sister had developed. Support our nonprofit newsroom. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding, in part, students return to remote learning. He went on to recover from the disease. In August 2021, DeCillis received her diagnosis of Grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive, rare, and deadly form of brain cancer. Over 122 people connected to Colonia High School were found to have brain tumors. America today woke up to the news that brain cancer has been detected in more than 100 former students at a New Jersey high school. "Her four children are potentially being exposed to the same thing that killed their mother. It's due to concerns tied to graduates or staff members with brain tumors. Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. In addition, T&M and Cabrera Services Inc, a radiological and environmental remediation company, will acquire real time radiation measurements from the interior and exterior of the building as part of an intensive survey of all 28 acres of the Colonia High School property. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This is only one of many, many tests that can be performed. We do not believe that there is cause for any further testing, he said. Victim No. How will officials determine if a true cancer cluster exists? Al Lupiano graduated from the Middlesex County school in 1989. To confirm a true cancer cluster, epidemiologists must establish that there's a greater number of cancer cases than would be expected in a given population, based on their specific characteristics such as age, sex and geography, at a given time, Platz said. Initially, he found 15 people who attended the high school and were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, meaning a tumor that originates in the brain, according to NBC Today. Phillips had surgery to remove the tumor on March 3 and entered physical, occupational and speech therapy soon after. Whittington a board-certified MD in California claimed several of the brain tumors developed by ex-Colonia High staff and students are glioblastoma multiforme an aggressive cancer which spreads to brain tissue. Its not something in soil. Brain tumor concerns prompt petition for remote learning at Colonia HS, graduates or staff members with brain tumors, Former Woodbridge, N.J. resident says 65 people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School have had rare brain tumors. By April 11, he had heard from more than 100 former Colonia High School attendees who had been diagnosed with rare tumors and cancers. Lupiano told NJ Spotlight News that the school is located less than 12 miles from the Middlesex Sampling Plant a site that was used, under the direction of theManhattan Project, to crush, dry, store, package and ship uranium ore for the development of the atomic bomb. The Middlesex Sampling Plant, which has since closed, is located on 9.6 acres, about a 30-minute driving from Colonia. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Published on Apr 08, 2022 Al Lupiano and his wife, Michele, at their home in Jamesburg,. After the testing ends, Lupiano said he and his supporters will be looking for a commitment by federal authorities for a conclusive investigation into whether something in the schools environment caused the brain tumors. 'I will not rest until I . What I find alarming is theres truly only one environmental link to primary brain tumors, and thats ionizing radiation, he declared. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. (Exposure to certain types of radiation can increase the risk of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.) And now-deceased sister were diagnosed with brain tumors Both parents of children in School and current and... 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