Lupiano began researching to see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors. At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not, he said. And over the last 18 years, Lupiano has worked forMarine Spill Response Corp. A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. 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. Its not contaminated water. She holds a bachelor's degree in biotechnology from theUniversity of Kentucky and master's degrees in food technology from Aarhus University and journalism from New York University. The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to the school had a primary brain tumor and another 75 were diagnosed with other rare forms of cancer, according to NJ.com. Brain cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 . Find your municipality in this alphabetical list to see how its average property tax bill for 2021 compares to others. According to United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. (Google Maps). In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. "I have full faith they will get to the bottom of this and they will figure out what is going on," she previously told News 4. "Colonia is not a mega high school. 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. "If there's a unique exposure, we would expect a unique cancer type," Platz said. 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. Normally speaking, you dont get radiation in a high school unless something is going on in that area that we dont know, Raval added, calling for an immediate investigation. . More than 100 people from the same high school have been diagnosed with brain cancer and it is feared soil contaminated with uranium used in the first atomic bomb made them ill. Since . "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". DeCillis's four teenage daughters attend Colonia schools in Woodbridge. T&M Associates of Middletown and its team of environmentalists are scheduled to begin collecting data at the high school this weekend by placing radon canisters throughout the building to collect air samples, according to township officials. And all three were diagnosed with rare forms of brain cancers or tumors on the left side of their brains. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. Janice's sister Chery Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. It "was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende" that were "imported for use in the nations 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. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormack told the outlet that his office initiated conversations with the Woodbridge Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry about opening investigations into potential radiation exposure stemming from the high school's campus. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. They were very appreciative that we reached out to them but they were not interested in getting involved, and they kept trying to pass it off, and saying they will have to do research and get back to you, he said, referring to the New Jersey agency. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. But how will officials figure out if a true cancer cluster exists or if the cases are simply a coincidence? For people who graduated recently, the chances of having cancer now is much lower than those in their 70s and 80s, he said. Only 72 of the suspected cancer clusters were confirmed to have an increased incidence of cancer within the cluster. But the growing number of victims both alive and dead on the list dont constitute the evidence that public health experts need to determine that Colonia is a cancer cluster, said Dr. NBCLX storyteller Peter Hull walks you through the research. My wife had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma," Lupiano said. 94 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey are part of a cancer cluster of still unknown origin. 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.. Lupiano's quest for information took him to Facebook last month, and that list of people who went to or worked at Colonia High School - and have a primary brain tumor - is now closing in on 100 cases. He just needs a place. Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. Very few achieve the label, but one of them is Toms River, where the rate of childhood cancers surged in the 1990s after the towns drinking water was contaminated with toxic chemicals from two waste dumps. 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. 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"Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. Colonia High School Officials conduct a radiological survey on the school's baseball field. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. The city of Woodbridge says it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing at a school that graduated roughly 15,000 people over the last 30 years. That's what makes the numbers staggering," says Lupiano. 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. We are looking at possible things that we can do between the town and school, and they said they will look at anything we come up with, McCormac said. Its overwhelming. For the Lupianos, they believe the chances of all three of them having tumors on the left sides of their brains were too high to be a coincidence. I dont think this is the end of the story. There has been plenty of inventions and history made in New Jersey. Lupiano launched the bid after his sister passed away from the disease and his wife too was diagnosed with the exact same form of aggressive tumour glioblastoma. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The authorities will be conducting radiological assessments across the school's 28-acre campus, including the testing of indoor air samples for radon. According to the Mayo Clinic, an Acoustic Neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that is found on the primary nerve that . 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.". Advertisement. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. Lupiano is an environmental scientist who tested ground samples for toxins over the course of his career and suggested that the school's grounds could be contaminated, according to NJ Spotlight News. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The program will take real-time measurements of radiation inside and outside the building, the town said. "Their neurologist, who has been recognized as a global leader in neurosurgery by the World Federation of Neurological Societies, has treated and been involved with tens of thousands of brain tumors in his career. The study was to see if the area possibly had radiological contaminants that would contribute to diagnoses of brain cancers and other central nervous system tumors or disorders among these alumni, teachers and current students. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. In April, Woodbridge approved environmental testing at the school, but those results won't be made available until the end of June. His illness was diagnosed in 1999; hers in 2001. Until then, he knew of 15 former Colonia attendees who had been diagnosed with brain tumors. We're just doing it," said Mayor John E. McCormac. 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR IN US HISTORY DUE TO COVID-19, DRUG OVERDOSES. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. An investigation into a possible brain cancer cluster found no evidence a New Jersey school was the cause of tumors diagnosed in former students, officials declared Thursday. What It Said, "Playing For Country": Gavaskar Blasts Gill For Calling Physio Mid-Over, Inside "World's Most Ultra-Luxury Resort", At $100,000 A Night, "I'm Not Their Target, You": Manish Sisodia's Resignation Letter, Video: Delhi Building's Dramatic Collapse After Fire, "Will Continue To Impose Sanctions On Russia": US Treasury Secretary, Chicago's 1st Openly Gay, Black Woman Mayor Loses Re-Election, Will Blow Up Mukesh Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan Bungalows, Caller To Cops, Think Tank CPR's Foreign Funding Licence Halted: "Will Explore Recourse", F1 Legend Jenson Button Breaks Guinness World Record. He went on to recover from the disease. PROMISING CANCER VACCINE IN THE WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS. 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases, Piscataway man convicted of exploiting daughters college peers after moving into dorm, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding, in part, students return to remote learning. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. After seeing a social media post from Lupiano earlier this month, concerned residents reached out to Mayor John McCormac. In less than six weeks, Lupiano says, he has gathered the names of 94 people connected with the school who have developed brain tumors. 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. "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps," the statement reads. The chances of one person gettingacoustic neuroma are roughly 1 in 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. 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. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. A mystery in Colonia 94 people from 1 N.J. high school developed brain tumors. Lupiano's familiarity comes from his own experience. There are noeasily available records from the land before CHS was built in 1967, according to McCormac. "However, I still think we need to expedite the next phase of testing including water, soil, and air, to determine if more than one contaminant is present," he said. World News Posted by Amit Chaturvedi Updated: April 15, 2022 12:33 pm IST. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. The last case was a while ago, like 2000," Kapadia said. Last year, his sister who also went to the school found out she had a primary brain tumor, which turned out to be stage 4 glioblastoma, he told CBS New York. "Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor," Lupiano said. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. The issue became national headline in the United States after CBS News aired a story on it. The plant then "decontaminated to the standards in effect at the time," though "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," the USACE New York Division said on its website. Both his wife and sister were assigned the same doctor for treatment. Check the photos below. Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. 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. Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? 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. This is how New Jersey saw the world from 1940-to 1980. McCormac has also reached out toU.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J 6th District. The number of people is so small that we don't know how many cancers you'd expect , she said. After his sister's death in February, Lupiano became convinced of a link between the Colonia. Lupiano said his teamdealt withanti-terrorism work, radioactive materials, and chemical and biological agents. Market data provided by Factset. "I have some lingering issues. 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