But where? "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. A subsequent TikTok video discussing the medical mystery has also racked up more than 2.2 million viral views in just 24 hours. He alleges that some contaminated soil was removed from the site when it closed down in 1967 the same year Colonia High School was built. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. 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. As a Rutgers University graduate with a major in environmental sciences and a minor inindustrial hygiene safety engineering, he's made a career of cleaning up unsafe sites. It is his belief my wife and I may be the first documented case of spouses having an AN, both roughly the same size and on the same side of the headaccording to him, the odds are maybe 1 in a BILLION," Lupiano said. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. The environmental engineering firm T+M Associates was. 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. 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. Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. Print |. There has been plenty of inventions and history made in New Jersey. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. He initially found 15 people, allColonia High School graduates from around 1975 to 1995, had them, he said. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia High School. 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. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff over a 30-year period have been diagnosed with cancer and local parents say the information they're getting on the investigation. All these photos are from AP and Getty publications, meaning they were used in a magazine or newspaper. Jon can be contacted by email at jonhurdle@gmail.com. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media 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. I still dont know what Im going to do with my kids, Komorek told NJ.com. The four-year high school has more than 1,300 students. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . "Al has presented enough evidence that warrants further attention, but we have to rely on the experts to draw their conclusions.". The same day his sister was diagnosed, his wife, Michele, a 1991 Colonia High School graduate, was diagnosed with a large acoustic neuroma, a rare brain tumor which is life-threatening if left untreated. In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano. 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. 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. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "I'm not particularly concerned because it hasn't happened in quite some time. His illness was diagnosed in 1999; hers in 2001. Lupiano began counting how many people associated with the town were effected. "I will not rest until I have answers," the 50-year-old told NJ.com. 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. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. 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. But how will officials figure out if a true cancer cluster exists or if the cases are simply a coincidence? 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. "When I looked at the email and I saw the data I just dropped. Here's the latest for Wednesday April 6th: More sanctions against Russia expected; Zelenskyy warns that Russian troops are regrouping; Second Sacramento suspect under arrest; Severe storms from Texas to South Carolina. 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. 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Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. Market data provided by Factset. 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. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. That's what makes the numbers staggering," says Lupiano. Gov. A former Woodbridge man has identified 84 Colonia High School alumni and former staffers with rare brain tumors and wants health officials to investigate. One parent told the outlet she doesnt think the probe did enough testing because it didnt take water or soil samples. While the exact number of former faculty and staff diagnosed with glioblastoma is not precisely known, the cancer is exceedingly rare. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. In April, Woodbridge approved environmental testing at the school, but those results won't be made available until the end of June. 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. McCormac said residents are expressing concerns, and the township is working to keep everyone updated. More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. The Township of Woodbridge, in cooperation with the Woodbridge Township School District, has taken the proactive initiative to contract with T&M and Cabrera Services, Inc., a nationally recognized radiological and environmental remediation company, to engage their team of environmentalists to begin collecting data at Colonia High School, the town said in a statement. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. 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. "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.". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. "The high school was the first thing to be there, so there was probably nothing in the ground at that time," he said. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. Published on Apr 08, 2022 Al Lupiano and his wife, Michele, at their home in Jamesburg,. 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. 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. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. We do not believe that there is cause for any further testing, he said. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick told CBS New York the school, which was built in 1967, was built on "virgin land" in the woods. The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and on school grounds, according to NJ Spotlight News. 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. ", Rick Rickman is the news assistant at New Jersey 101.5. "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. 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. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. Now, an investigation is underway to determine if the school Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey is linked with a cancer cluster. How will officials determine if a true cancer cluster exists? Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. On April 10, Mr. Lupiano's list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. 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. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. DeCillis's four teenage daughters attend Colonia schools in Woodbridge. LaTourette said during the press conference every possible link to cancer was tested. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired UK, Popular Science and Youth Today, among others. If it's an ongoing issue, we may have to go through this all over again in 10 to 20 years. Both his wife and sister were assigned the same doctor for treatment. My wife had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma," Lupiano 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. 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 . 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.. Dozens of former teachers and students have . The work will be done in cooperation with Woodbridge School District. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com. (Al Lupiano). A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. However, Lupiano is still worried about his teenage nieces attending the school. Lupiano said his teamdealt withanti-terrorism work, radioactive materials, and chemical and biological agents. Unlike lab experiments, which can be tightly controlled, epidemiology and public health studies are often based on observations; as such, the answers can be incomplete or unsatisfying, Platz said. . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. 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. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent. The mayorsays only the experts are qualifiedto make an actionable connection between the cases and CHS. I dont think this is the end of the story. (For example, smoking increases a person's risk of lung cancer.). Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmental scientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is . According to the National Cancer Institute, "cases of cancer can appear to cluster even when there is no connection among them." Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 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. He went on to recover from the disease. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. She died on Feb. 17, 2022, at 44 years old. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . 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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. also a graduate of the high school, died recently from brain cancer. 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. In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor for someone his age called Acoustic Neuroma (AN). All rights reserved. Because I dont think its right to say theres no threat to teachers and students if you didnt take a single soil or groundwater sample.. Dangerous drunk driving in South Brunswick, NJ cops nearly hit, Perth Amboy, NJ super rebukes teachers union for urging student walkout, Student walkout, protest planned after Perth Amboy NJ fifth-grader stabbed, Driver flees on foot after crash kills East Windsor, NJ mom, NJ man giving massages groped women at Plainsboro gym, cops say, Perth Amboy after school stabbing leaves 11-year-old hurt, child in custody, As NJ councilwoman is laid to rest, many questions about her execution-style slaying, New Brunswick, NJ burglar repeatedly confronted by residents, Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and EEO Report. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. The review article looked at 567 cancer cluster investigations over 20 years. Lupiano also spoke with CBS News on Thursday, saying he now believes ionizing radiation must be responsible for the health issues. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Why? 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