"We can get in there today and take air, water and soil samples and have results back the same day," Lupiano said. More than 100 primary brain tumors have now been linked to people who graduated or taught at Colonia High. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. "I have some lingering issues. "Al has presented enough evidence that warrants further attention, but we have to rely on the experts to draw their conclusions.". Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. "It seems like in a little over a 20-year period to have 65 people on a list is somewhat alarming, it's quite alarming," said the mayor, who lives blocks away from Colonia High School, but added the link only appears to pertain to people who attended or worked at the high school. And it's not just the school that could be at risk. Now, he's gone public with the suggestion that Colonia could be one such site. We have no records 55 years ago.". "But I understand why anyone would be concerned. Shehad been dealing with hearing loss for several years. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. A subsequent TikTok video discussing the medical mystery has also racked up more than 2.2 million viral views in just 24 hours. Victim No. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach and athletic director. The four-year high school has more than 1,300 students. But doubts that the tumor cases represent a cancer cluster are unwarranted, said Lupiano, who predicted strong protests in the Woodbridge community if state and federal authorities dont start a formal investigation soon. He thinks the cases stem from contaminated soil, but there's no data to prove that at this point. Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. In addition, T&M and Cabrera Services Inc, a radiological and environmental remediation company, will acquire real time radiation measurements from the interior and exterior of the building as part of an intensive survey of all 28 acres of the Colonia High School property. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. "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.". Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. All rights reserved. Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia High School. Jon can be contacted by email at jonhurdle@gmail.com. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. Colonia High School Costello-Greiner Funeral Home - Woodbridge Sunday, January 1, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory Sandra Wilson Sandra Wilson was born to Sarah Wilson and James Bradley on November. The number of people is so small that we don't know how many cancers you'd expect , she said. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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. And over the last 18 years, Lupiano has worked forMarine Spill Response Corp. Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmental scientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is . More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. 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. His sister had recently died of cancer. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The states Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette backed up the mayors declaration the school was safe. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The diagnoses include several types of primary brain tumors, including cancerous forms like glioblastoma and noncancerous yet debilitating masses such as acoustic neuromas, haemangioblastomas and meningiomas., Brain tumors at colonia high school. ", Colonia High School entrance. (Al Lupiano), "[A]s of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor," Luapiano said in an update on his Faceboook post. 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. "It was clearly alarming enough that it merited further attention and I just helped him get that attention. 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. But brain . 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. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. Advertisement. "As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation," he wrote. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. Mystery as 100 people associated with . For anothertwo decades, he held similar jobs withbig companies including Lockheed Martin. But Lupiano has so far came across 102 people who passed through the school between 1975 and 2000 have all suffered from the same type of brain cancer. Its not contaminated water. 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. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. But some parents didnt seem convinced, according to NJ.com. NY 10036. Market data provided by Factset. also a graduate of the high school, died recently from brain cancer. or redistributed. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. That's when Lupiano started looking into the connection. 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. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. She worked for 16 years to help other rising nurses at Rutgers and RWJ Barnabas Health. #braincancer #glioblastoma #braintumor #radiation #medicalmystery #doctor. Landolfi and others said theres not enough evidence to support fears that the illnesses were caused by exposure to high levels of radiation, with one theory that the cause may have been a rock containing uranium used in a science lab. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. Earlier this year, Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist and Colonia High School graduate, discovered more than 115 people who spent time at the school had a rare brain tumor. 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. Its overwhelming. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. Woodbridge officials are now trying to determine an underlying cause for the disease. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. There has been plenty of inventions and history made in New Jersey. World News Posted by Amit Chaturvedi Updated: April 15, 2022 12:33 pm IST. Its not something done to us due to bad habits.. Colonia graduate Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, was the first to sound the alarm about the potential cluster. 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases, Piscataway man convicted of exploiting daughters college peers after moving into dorm, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. McCormack said the town wants local and federal involvement in the investigation. McCormac speaks highly of Lupiano, who worked for nine years after college with EPA emergency responders. 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. But how will officials figure out if a true cancer cluster exists or if the cases are simply a coincidence? 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First published on May 4, 2022 / 10:52 PM. But Lupiano was not initially sure that the high school was a link to the similar yet rare brain tumor cases until he made a request on Facebook for others who attended Colonia to reach out to him personally. His sister Angela Decillis. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . Why is the cancer that killed John McCain so deadly? It's due to concerns tied to graduates or staff members with brain tumors. "Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. 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