Now, an investigation is underway to determine if the school Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey is linked with a cancer cluster. "I'm not particularly concerned because it hasn't happened in quite some time. The discovery of the possible link between the school and the brain tumors is so new that it hasn't yet been verified by any agency, and the testing being done there is just part of the effort to figure out the true extent of the problem. Lupiano and McCormac have spoken to officials with the state Department of Health and thefederalAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. According to the Mayo Clinic, an Acoustic Neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that is found on the primary nerve that . Notably, brain cancer is rarer than other cancers. "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. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. Its not something in soil. No one knows why. Reports claim that more than 60 former students and staff of Colonia High School have been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor called . Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. 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. "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. Why is the cancer that killed John McCain so deadly? In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano. He accused the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry of being unresponsive to his calls for a formal probe. Please enter valid email address to continue. The investigation will consider very granular data on graduates, like their occupations, family history and other activities that could affect their exposures. 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. We've received your submission. (Google Maps). 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. How will officials determine if a true cancer cluster exists? In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. All rights reserved. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick told CBS New York the school, which was built in 1967, was built on "virgin land" in the woods. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. McCormac said residents are expressing concerns, and the township is working to keep everyone updated. Platz expects that public health officials will look for specific overlaps in timing and tumor type. McCormac has also reached out toU.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J 6th District. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. This is definitely not normal.. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, . She worked for 16 years to help other rising nurses at Rutgers and RWJ Barnabas Health. "Today we are very happy to announce that our extensive testing for both radon and radiation, in the interior and exterior, of the school produced no evidence of any cancer-causing hazards that warrant further investigation," McCormac said. Immediate action from our State and Federal agencies is warranted," Lupiano said. Shehad been dealing with hearing loss for several years. An MRI revealed Michele had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma, another raretype of brain tumor that develops on the nerves leading to the inner ear. 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. Lupiano began researching to see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. "I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone. Phil Murphy, whose administration has also been pushed to get more involved, recently described the tumor cluster as disturbing but echoed Woodbridge Township officials in stressing it was too soon to make definitive conclusions about the cause. First published on May 4, 2022 / 10:52 PM. "With that in mind, and after many weeks of work, I was able to negotiate an agreement with BTF to provide this service completely FREE of charge.". 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. 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. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. A copy of Lupianos list, with the names and phone numbers of victims redacted, includes some who, like Lupiano himself, graduated decades ago. ", Colonia High School entrance. Brain cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 . You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 4/24 UPDATE: The radiological team charged with looking for both radiation and radon has concluded. On Tuesday after a public push by Lupiano local officials approved an emergency probe of the school. A subsequent TikTok video discussing the medical mystery has also racked up more than 2.2 million viral views in just 24 hours. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. 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. I have a really bad feeling were going to find contamination beyond the high school. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. "For the most part I'm pretty good today," Lupiano said. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. The number of people is so small that we don't know how many cancers you'd expect , she said. Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas has the latest as 100+ have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey. In other words, they will need to prove by statistical analysis that more Colonia staff and graduates developed brain cancer than people with their same characteristics (age, sex, location) over the same time. Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. 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. Colonia High School Officials conduct a radiological survey on the school's baseball field. A look back: Al Lupiano was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma, a . Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. 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. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. Laumbach argued that thousands of suspected cancer clusters throughout the country dont meet federal government standards for that designation even if they are investigated by public health experts. I've tried to give back over the last 20 years.". "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". On April 10, Mr. Lupiano's list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. Dozens of former teachers and students have . 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. Al Lupiano is among the 94 former staff and students from Colonia High School in the Woodbridge Township School District who have been stricken by the devastating diagnoses in recent years. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a cancer cluster just yet. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding, in part, students return to remote learning. Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmental scientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is . 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. And over the last 18 years, Lupiano has worked forMarine Spill Response Corp. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. And that the children of this school, the faculty of this school and the parents and caregivers of these children and the people in and around this community they can have confidence, they can have confidence that this is a safe place.. 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. Since last August, Lupiano has spent countless hours trying to find other people linked to CHS with primary brain cancers. 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. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. ", 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. Jon can be contacted by email at jonhurdle@gmail.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. 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. More: 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases. The onset of brain tumors in more than one hundred people who attended or worked at Colonia High School in New Jersey has continued to baffle experts. "We're all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. He's now among the many calling on the town, state and federal government to do more. More than 100 primary brain tumors have now been linked to people who graduated or taught at Colonia High. It is possible that soil from the plant had been trucked to Colonia High School during its construction in 1967, NJ Spotlight reported. I dont think this is the end of the story. And it's not just the school that could be at risk. Al Lupiano graduated from the Middlesex County school in 1989. 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. All rights reserved, mysterious cluster of brain tumors dating back decades, He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June, NJ Parents Demand Swifter Action in School Cancer Probe After 100+ Brain Tumors Diagnosed, Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, Next Winter Storm May Bring Even More Snow to NYC Area This Week: What to Know, 4 Ferraris Stolen on Long Island in Service Center Heist. State Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichillisaid during the press conference a review of the cancer registry by health officials determined the expected number of primary brain tumors for Colonia students from 1968 to 2021 were 98 to 105 and among staff for that same timeframe were 13 to 14. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. He just needs a place. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . It can seem connected, when in reality, cancer is quite common and people are simply noticing this fact. 100 PEOPLE WITH RARE TUMORS WHO ATTENDED SAME NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL DEMAND ANSWERS The 110 people that Lupiano has counted on his list of former Colonia High School graduates have been. 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. 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. Lupiano also spoke with CBS News on Thursday, saying he now believes ionizing radiation must be responsible for the health issues. There has been plenty of inventions and history made in New Jersey. At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not, he said. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. NY 10036. A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. Victim No. Know What It Is, Nagaland Minister Pokes Fun At G20 Flower Pots Theft Accused, This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Cancer diagnosis: Detection, testing and research, Parasite found in cat poop linked to higher brain cancer risk in humans, Once-dreaded poliovirus could treat brain cancer. Why? He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June and says he's had trouble working with local officials to find one. Exterior shots of Colonia High School in Colonia, NJ on Thursday, April 7, 2022. also a graduate of the high school, died recently from brain cancer. For people who graduated recently, the chances of having cancer now is much lower than those in their 70s and 80s, he said. Two weeks from now, if we dont hear anything from the federal agencies, theres going to be a lot of yelling and screaming, and the parents are going to run out of patience, he said. The states Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette backed up the mayors declaration the school was safe. However, Lupiano is still worried about his teenage nieces attending the school. "This approach of calculating the expected number was done to provide context to . 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. 100 stories of shock and disbelief with the diagnosis. DeCillis earned her doctorate of nursing practice from Rutgers Universityin 2015. I am being told Lupiano, who graduated from the school in 1989, himself was diagnosed 20 years ago and said he still suffers lingering issues, CBS New York reports. I pray we find answers(as of 18:00 4/11, the list stands at 102 individuals). 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. The vast majority of those who have developed brain tumors graduated between 1975 and 2000, although outliers have come as recently as a 2014 graduate, according to the Star-Ledger. NJ high school linked to mystery cancer cases. "It's too important. He says if there is something going on, he worries about all of the people that would be impacted. Even though the cluster cases ended almost two decades ago, Lupiano appears as determined as ever to uncover the cause -- and he understands that parents who send their kids to school there now may have some concerns despite what officials tell them. 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. "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 mayor has reached out to the state Department of Health, Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, according to CBS New York. DeCillis's four teenage daughters attend Colonia schools in Woodbridge. I will not rest until I have answers, Lupiano, 50, declared in an interview with NJ.com and the Star-Ledger on Thursday. Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare brain tumors on the same day. I will uncover the truth.. There are noeasily available records from the land before CHS was built in 1967, according to McCormac. 'I will not rest until I . Hours after Deciliis got her diagnosis, Lupiano's wife Michelereceived similar news. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. A single New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking 100 people diagnosed with rare cancers or tumors to a Woodbridge high school. We've received your submission. Legal Statement. And he said New Jerseys Department of Health has been similarly noncommittal. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. But in 2021, his wife and sister, also graduates of Colonia, were both diagnosed with rare brain tumors, according to NJ Spotlight News. Now, he's gone public with the suggestion that Colonia could be one such site. If we dont find anything, we have to start looking at other potential candidates, whether its chemicals or something in the soil or air. She died on Feb. 17, 2022, at 44 years old. According to agency estimates, about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer. She died on Feb. 17, 2022, at 44 years old. 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.". 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. The results from the environmental study that was conducted at a New Jersey high school campus enveloped in a brain tumor cluster mystery among graduates and workers at the school revealed no traces of radioactivity were found in the school. Dating back decades, newly detailed reports of more than 100 cases of brain tumors among former students and staff at Colonia High School in Woodbridge have raised obvious concerns. "As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation," he wrote. "To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. "I'm getting reports of whole blocks in and around the neighborhood, that they call themselves 'Cancer Alley,'" Lupiano said. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. All these photos are from AP and Getty publications, meaning they were used in a magazine or newspaper. or redistributed. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a "cancer cluster" just yet. 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. 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. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. All are awaiting results from the radiation testing at the school before deciding how to get involved and proceed with the investigation. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media members. NBCLX storyteller Peter Hull walks you through the research. The work will be done in cooperation with Woodbridge School District. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". 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. 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. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. "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?" One former student at Colonia High School who developed a 'rare' brain tumor over 20 years ago and survived having cancer is looking to uncover the cause.