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. 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. But in 2021, his wife and sister, also graduates of Colonia, were both diagnosed with rare brain tumors, according to NJ Spotlight News. After his sister passed away, Lupiano wrote a lengthy Facebook post as well as an article in a local newspaper in March, asking for people in the area for help in reporting cases of brain tumors. 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. The question is why? Its not air. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a cancer cluster just yet. 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. "I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone. The cancer was diagnosed years after these students graduated or worked at Colonia High School in Woodbridge. Over 122 people connected to Colonia High School were found to have brain tumors. 4/24 UPDATE: The radiological team charged with looking for both radiation and radon has concluded. Just three of these clusters were linked to a possible exposure, and only one had a clear cause. (Google Maps). More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. Print |. Lupiano is wondering whether some of that soil ended up on the school grounds. "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. Among the others diagnosed with brain cancer was Lupianos younger sister, who passed away from the disease in February at the age of 44. 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. His wife. Notably, brain cancer is rarer than other cancers. Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. He just needs a place. Janice's sister Chery Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. 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. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. Its not something in soil. Al Lupiano is a Colonia High School graduate and environmental scientist who was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. T&M Associates already started conducting historic site research to obtain records related to the school's construction in1967 to today. According to the Mayo Clinic, an Acoustic Neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that is found on the primary nerve that . "This approach of calculating the expected number was done to provide context to . McCormac has also reached out toU.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J 6th District. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. 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. 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. Colonia Mayor John McCormac announced Thursday afternoon the results of the findings of the Environmental Assessment Study that was conducted to investigate if Colonia High School buildings and grounds. Legal Statement. 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. Exterior shots of Colonia High School in Colonia, NJ on Thursday, April 7, 2022. Brain cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 . But some parents didnt seem convinced, according to NJ.com. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He said the site was vacant land until the school was built in 1967,so he believes there is little chance anything was in the ground before then, but if there is anything on site, it could have come from fill during the construction phase. "If there's a unique exposure, we would expect a unique cancer type," Platz said. 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. 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. To find something like this is a significant discovery, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of New Jerseys top neuro-oncologists, told the outlet. Over 100 former students and staff from a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors. "I'm getting reports of whole blocks in and around the neighborhood, that they call themselves 'Cancer Alley,'" Lupiano said. "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". Phillips had surgery to remove the tumor on March 3 and entered physical, occupational and speech therapy soon after. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. According to MyCentralJersey.com, the issue stems from legal concerns over the potential risk of offering a medical procedure with which municipal officials have no experience. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. I will not rest until I have answers, Lupiano, 50, declared in an interview with NJ.com and the Star-Ledger on Thursday. Immediately I knew exactly what I was looking at. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent. The community suspects a cancer cluster, and would like it investigated, and I think thats a very reasonable request. Jon Hurdle, a freelance writer who regularly reports on water and other environmental issues, is part of the NJ Spotlight COVID-19 reporting team. "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. If no link is found with the high school specifically, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, said other potential points of connection in the township will be explored, according to NBC Today. According to Fox News, there have been instances of both malignant and benign brain tumors being discovered in former Colonia High School attendees. McCormac said he was very concerned to learn of the possible link. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. There could be a real problem here, and our residents deserve to know if there are any dangers, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac said in a statement. LOS ANGELES (AP) More than a week after Tom Sizemore suffered a brain aneurysm, a representative says the actor's family is "now deciding end of life matters." "Today, doctors informed . But he made a promise to his late sister that he would find out. Knowing about the numbers we are talking about here, I think this meets every definition of what a cancer cluster looks like, he said. Heres how it works. 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. Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. 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. Jon can be contacted by email at jonhurdle@gmail.com. . Theres lots and lots of people calling me, saying, Look, I didnt go to the high school, but I live a mile away, and we call our block cancer alley,' said Lupiano. "I hope the results come back with absolutely nothing," he said. 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. 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. 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. In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. Starting this weekend, various radiological assessments will be conducted across the schools 28-acre campus, including the testing of indoor air samples for radon. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting. "But I understand why anyone would be concerned. I'm still helping him get more attention.". 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. Its not contaminated water. "That's probably been the biggest fear of all," Lupiano said. The Department of Health will work with the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and will conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects. 100 stories of shock and disbelief with the diagnosis. It can seem connected, when in reality, cancer is quite common and people are simply noticing this fact. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. And I know that wears on my brother-in-law, it wears on my parents. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. Lupianowould liketheir investigators to come in over spring break so that students are not disturbed. 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. A subsequent TikTok video discussing the medical mystery has also racked up more than 2.2 million viral views in just 24 hours. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," he told CBS News York. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com. / CBS News. 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. McCormack said the town wants local and federal involvement in the investigation. Please enter valid email address to continue. Views expressed by our advertisers and sponsors are their own, and are not endorsed by NJ Spotlight News. The environmental engineering firm T+M Associates was. Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia High School. 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And it is also great news for all former students.". 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. Lupiano said he has had meetings with county, state and federal agencies, which he said in a March 25 post "are going well.". 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. (Google Maps). The issue became national headline in the United States after CBS News aired a story on it. This is only one of many, many tests that can be performed. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. "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. She too died last month. The analysis took several weeks. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. According to United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. Donavyn was a Fulbright Fellow to Denmark where she studiedmolecular nutrition and food policy. 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. "While we have not yet determined if any contaminant is present, the only link up to this point is that everyone spent a significant amount of time at the school," Lupiano wrote in his Facebook post. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! ", 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. No one knows why. 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. , cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 former students..... Of that soil ended up on the primary nerve that but recent and food policy radon concluded search... Can seem connected, when in reality, cancer is rare, but he very! 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