The authorities will be conducting radiological assessments across the school's 28-acre campus, including the testing of indoor air samples for radon. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. His illness was diagnosed in 1999; hers in 2001. More: 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases. 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. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. Without analyzing the data herself, Platz said shes not able to estimate how many of the 15,000 people who have gone through Colonia High in the past 30 years would need to have developed cancer for it to be considered a cluster. 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. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. More than 100 primary brain tumors have now been linked to people who graduated or taught at Colonia High. Lupiano said. After seeing a social media post from Lupiano earlier this month, concerned residents reached out to Mayor John McCormac. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach and athletic director. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. First published on April 25, 2022 / 10:26 AM. 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.". The mayorsays only the experts are qualifiedto make an actionable connection between the cases and CHS. 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. First published on May 4, 2022 / 10:52 PM. The last case was a while ago, like 2000," Kapadia said. Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. "I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone. 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. "I'm not particularly concerned because it hasn't happened in quite some time. 100 stories of shock and disbelief with the diagnosis. Lupiano is wondering whether some of that soil ended up on the school grounds. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and on school grounds, according to NJ Spotlight News. But just because there is an investigation does not necessarily mean there's a cancer cluster, Platz told Live Science. This is definitely not normal.. .. Advertisement .. Over 100 Former Students, Staff Of New Jersey School Get Rare Cancer, Probe Launched, S Jaishankar's "Firm" Reply To UK Minister Who Raised BBC Tax Row: Sources, Nithyananda's 'Republic Of Kailasa' At UN Meet. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media members. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. Mitesh Kapadia moved right next to Colonia High just a few years ago. "We're all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. 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. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick told CBS New York the school, which was built in 1967, was built on "virgin land" in the woods. The disturbing development became headline news this week after CBS News took it national. 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. The department declined to comment for this story. Knowing about the numbers we are talking about here, I think this meets every definition of what a cancer cluster looks like, he said. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received her diagnosis of Grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive, rare, and deadly form of brain cancer. "When I looked at the email and I saw the data I just dropped. 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. for 7-year-old's rare brain cancer. To find something like this is a significant discovery, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of New Jerseys top neuro-oncologists, told the outlet. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "The rates are actually consistent in New Jersey with the United States," McGreevy said. Lupiano was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in the late 1990s, at the age of 27. Tripadvisor names the world's top 25 beaches, three in the U.S. Published on Apr 08, 2022 Al Lupiano and his wife, Michele, at their home in Jamesburg,. 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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. The EPA says that inhaling radon for a long time increases your risk of lung cancer. 94 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey are part of a cancer cluster of still unknown origin. Legal Statement. Concerns were raised by Al Lupiano, a 1989 graduate of Colonia High School, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor along with his wife Michele and sister Angela DeCillis, both of whom had. Please enter valid email address to continue. Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare brain tumors on the same day. 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. New York, "If there's a unique exposure, we would expect a unique cancer type," Platz said. 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. Updated on: May 4, 2022 / 11:30 PM 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. 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. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . "I don't know what the cause is," Lupiano said. 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. Lupiano and McCormac have spoken to officials with the state Department of Health and thefederalAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 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. I will not rest until I have answers, Lupiano, 50, declared in an interview with NJ.com and the Star-Ledger on Thursday. 89. during the press conference posted on the townships Youtube page. or redistributed. 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. 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. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. Lupiano began counting how many people associated with the town were effected. You can also see how much the average bill changed from 2020. No one knows why. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100. "We thank Mayor McCormac [sic] and the local residents for raising these concerns and we ask for patience as we pursue the science to try to identify answers," the statement reads. In the 1980's, the contaminated residential properties were cleaned up, and the excavated soil was stored at the site in a specially constructed pile, known as the Vicinity Properties (VP) pile," the USACE New York Division's website states. One parent told the outlet she doesnt think the probe did enough testing because it didnt take water or soil samples. The Middlesex Sampling Plant, which has since closed, is located on 9.6 acres, about a 30-minute driving from Colonia. Find your municipality in this alphabetical list to see how its average property tax bill for 2021 compares to others. The community suspects a cancer cluster, and would like it investigated, and I think thats a very reasonable request. According to NJ Spotlight News, McCormac has been contacted by at least five agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Jersey Department of Health. 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 . And in March 2022, a few weeks after his sister's death due to her malignant tumor, Lupiano posted his findings to Facebook in search of more patients. 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. "This approach of calculating the expected number was done to provide context to . (Exposure to certain types of radiation can increase the risk of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.) 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. His wife was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, and his sister was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Jon Hurdle, a freelance writer who regularly reports on water and other environmental issues, is part of the NJ Spotlight COVID-19 reporting team. ", NEWS: Piscataway man convicted of exploiting daughters college peers after moving into dorm. 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