He says if there is something going on, he worries about all of the people that would be impacted. Only 72 of the suspected cancer clusters were confirmed to have an increased incidence of cancer within the cluster. I dont think this is the end of the story. More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. And it's not just the school that could be at risk. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. . 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. WOODBRIDGE The township has approved an emergency contract of $221,350 for an engineering firm to conduct radiological assessments at Colonia High School, following a 1989 graduate's research indicating a possible link between the school and brain tumor cases among former students and staff. Over 122 people connected to Colonia High School were found to have brain tumors. The Middlesex Sampling Plant, which has since closed, is located on 9.6 acres, about a 30-minute driving from Colonia. WOODBRIDGE, NJ Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition demanding a more robust investigation from the state of New Jersey and the federal government regarding a possible, unconfirmed cancer. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . The analysis was conducted after dozens of former high school students and staff over decades were diagnosed with cancers. 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. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. 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. Lupiano is wondering whether some of that soil ended up on the school grounds. McCormac has also reached out toU.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J 6th District. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. / CBS News. While benign, treatment can leave victims with hearing loss, trouble balancing, and several other serious symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Brain cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 . Its overwhelming. By that time, we hope the federal agencies are going to take over. Since . 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. My wife had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma," Lupiano said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The number of people is so small that we don't know how many cancers you'd expect , she said. Views expressed by our advertisers and sponsors are their own, and are not endorsed by NJ Spotlight News. 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. "To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia High School. COLONIA, N.J. - Radiation tests are being done at Colonia High School in New Jersey after more than 100 people were diagnosed with rare brain tumors. 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. All rights reserved. "But I understand why anyone would be concerned. Radiation tests are being carried out at a New Jersey high school where over 100 former students and staff are reported to have developed brain tumors and cancerand the . 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. No one knows why. An investigation has . But as the study continues, a number of people in the community are looking for some kind of reassurance. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. 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 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. 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 EPA says that inhaling radon for a long time increases your risk of lung cancer. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began investigating Colonia High School in Woodbridge when he realized several people who attended the school had rare tumors just like he had. More recently, a 1999 graduate died in 2016 of a head/neck tumor, while a 1998 graduate was diagnosed in 2014 with astrocytoma, a cancer of the brain stem. "I talked to him a little bit and learned about what he had been working on," McCormactoldNew Jersey 101.5. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting. 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. Its not something done to us due to bad habits.. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. A former Woodbridge man has identified 84 Colonia High School alumni and former staffers with rare brain tumors and wants health officials to investigate. 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 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. (Al Lupiano). Many more came forward after the posting, and by Thursday, the number had grown to 103, Lupiano told NJ Spotlight News. Al Lupiano, his wife Michele, and his sister Angela DeCillis all graduated from CHS between 1989 and 1995. 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. Know What It Is, Nagaland Minister Pokes Fun At G20 Flower Pots Theft Accused, This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. She worked for 16 years to help other rising nurses at Rutgers and RWJ Barnabas Health. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. "Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. 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. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent. "As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation," he wrote. A mystery in Colonia 94 people from 1 N.J. high school developed brain tumors. Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. And I know that wears on my brother-in-law, it wears on my parents. Parent Edyta Komorek said she and other parents are thinking about transferring their kids to another district. 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. "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". 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. Until then, he knew of 15 former Colonia attendees who had been diagnosed with brain tumors. The viral TikTok video discussing the purported cancer cluster was posted Wednesday by popular personality Dr. Joe Whittington. 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. Updated on: May 4, 2022 / 11:30 PM The cancer was diagnosed years after these students graduated or worked at Colonia High School in Woodbridge. After seeing a social media post from Lupiano earlier this month, concerned residents reached out to Mayor John McCormac. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The issue became national headline in the United States after CBS News aired a story on it. He's identifiedat least 65 people, including graduates and former staff who walked the halls of CHS from 1975 to 1995. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. 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. But some parents didnt seem convinced, according to NJ.com. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media members. But in 2021, his wife and sister, also graduates of Colonia, were both diagnosed with rare brain tumors, according to NJ Spotlight News. Reports claim that more than 60 former students and staff of Colonia High School have been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor called . In a statement to CBS News, Lupiano said he is "anxiously awaiting the results of the two-week-long radiological survey which concluded this weekend" and he anticipates he will receive the results in weeks. According to the National Cancer Institute, "cases of cancer can appear to cluster even when there is no connection among them." 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. It may be that once someone is diagnosed with cancer, they are more likely to take note of other cancer diagnoses or more likely to have conversations about cancer and realize their connections to other cancer patients, Platz said. 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. Discussions with that doctor about the rarity of three family members all being diagnosed with brain tumors led to Lupiano's quest for more research because radiation exposure is a well-documented cause of brain tumors. "When I looked at the email and I saw the data I just dropped. "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps," the statement reads. 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. The township announced results of an investigation. In 1999 when Lupiano was 27, he too was diagnosed with a large acoustic neuroma on the left side of his brain. 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. In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano. (Google Maps). It can seem connected, when in reality, cancer is quite common and people are simply noticing this fact. Last year, his wife who also attended Colonia was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. The review article looked at 567 cancer cluster investigations over 20 years. Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. An environmental assessment began last month to test the school grounds, which turned up no findings of radiological contaminants, according to NJ.com, a New Jersey news site. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. Print |. And over the last 18 years, Lupiano has worked forMarine Spill Response Corp. Related: The 10 deadliest cancers, and why there's no cure. T&M Associates already started conducting historic site research to obtain records related to the school's construction in1967 to today. We've received your submission. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach and athletic director. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Market data provided by Factset. Al Lupiano is a Colonia High School graduate and environmental scientist who was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. In August 2021, DeCillis received her diagnosis of Grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive, rare, and deadly form of brain cancer. 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. His wife. The program will take real-time measurements of radiation inside and outside the building, the town said. Like 6 Comments |. While not technically cancer, these brain tumors can grow and become life-threatening if left untreated. McCormac and Lupiano are waiting to hear back from the EPA. Calls are growing for state and federal authorities to look into why more than 100 people have been diagnosed with brain tumors since attending the school as students, faculty or staff in past decades. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. 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