After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Al Lupiano, 50, began investigating his alma matter of Colonia High School in Woodbridge, N.J. after his sister died of glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive and malignant brain tumor. 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. A mystery in Colonia 94 people from 1 N.J. high school developed brain tumors. The analysis was conducted after dozens of former high school students and staff over decades were diagnosed with cancers. Knowing about the numbers we are talking about here, I think this meets every definition of what a cancer cluster looks like, he said. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . His sister had recently died of cancer. for 7-year-old's rare brain cancer. "To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. 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. In the United States, the rate of new cases of brain cancer or other nervous system cancer is 6.3 cases per 100,000 people per year, according to the National Institutes of Health. They have a lot more resources at their disposal. Mystery as 100 people associated with . More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. 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. 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. 100 families having to be told the terrible 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. 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. An investigation has . During a press conference, local and state officials said a probe into Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, found there was no cause and effect relationship between those illnesses and the building and grounds at Colonia High School.. 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. 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. Lupiano also spoke with CBS News on Thursday, saying he now believes ionizing radiation must be responsible for the health issues. "It needs to be investigated, no questions asked," said Elizabeth A. Platz, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. 94 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey are part of a cancer cluster of still unknown origin. 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. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. 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. We have no records 55 years ago.". But brain . A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. T&M Associates already started conducting historic site research to obtain records related to the school's construction in1967 to today. If we dont find anything, we have to start looking at other potential candidates, whether its chemicals or something in the soil or air. Al Lupiano, his wife Michele, and his sister Angela DeCillis all graduated from CHS between 1989 and 1995. Just three of these clusters were linked to a possible exposure, and only one had a clear cause. Ninety-four former staff members and students from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, have developed an "extremely" rare form of malignant brain tumor, leading local officials to approve an emergency probe of the school Tuesday. 4/24 UPDATE: The radiological team charged with looking for both radiation and radon has concluded. And he said New Jerseys Department of Health has been similarly noncommittal. And over the last 18 years, Lupiano has worked forMarine Spill Response Corp. His wife graduated in 1991. The department declined to comment for this story. 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. 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. 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. 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. A copy of Lupianos list, with the names and phone numbers of victims redacted, includes some who, like Lupiano himself, graduated decades ago. 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.. The township and school district have had discussions and meetings with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the state Department of Health, the state Department of Environmental Protection and Rep. Frank Pallones office. According to Fox News, there have been instances of both malignant and benign brain tumors being discovered in former Colonia High School attendees. A consultant will be testing the grounds at Colonia High School, New Jersey, amid concerns that the school is linked to a high rate of rare brain cancers. 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. 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. Michele M. Vercoski, a partner of McCune Law Group, is investigating the potential link between the rare brain tumor and many former Colonia High School students out of the MLG's office in Newark, New Jersey. Find your municipality in this alphabetical list to see how its average property tax bill for 2021 compares to others. While the exact number of former faculty and staff diagnosed with glioblastoma is not precisely known, the cancer is exceedingly rare. Phil Murphy, whose administration has also been pushed to get more involved, recently described the tumor cluster as disturbing but echoed Woodbridge Township officials in stressing it was too soon to make definitive conclusions about the cause. Only 72 of the suspected cancer clusters were confirmed to have an increased incidence of cancer within the cluster. 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. "The high school was the first thing to be there, so there was probably nothing in the ground at that time," he said. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. 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. 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. "Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor," Lupiano said. The work will be done in cooperation with Woodbridge School District. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. Nearly 100 people attending a single high school in New Jersey have developed rare forms of brain cancer. 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. Shehad been dealing with hearing loss for several years. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. Both his wife and sister were assigned the same doctor for treatment. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". 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. 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 sister Angela Decillis. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. "We're all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. Jon can be contacted by email at jonhurdle@gmail.com. "It was clearly alarming enough that it merited further attention and I just helped him get that attention. (For example, smoking increases a person's risk of lung cancer.). 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. New York, But where? 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. Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. McCormack said the town wants local and federal involvement in the investigation. 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. Initially, he found 15 people who attended the high school and were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, meaning a tumor that originates in the brain, according to NBC Today. "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps," the statement reads. 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. He believes something at the high school in one of the more suburban and affluent sections of the township is responsible for dozens of brain cancer cases. 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. 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. In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano. "This approach of calculating the expected number was done to provide context to . Victim No. 89. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. I will uncover the truth.. Its not contaminated water. He had developed 'rare' brain tumor some 20 years ago. 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. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. 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, and is also great news for all former students who attended and staff who worked at Colonia High School.. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. Last month, McCormac and Superintendent of Schools Joseph Massimino became aware of health-related concerns reported on social media about a potential connection between Colonia High School and graduates who developed brain tumors. 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. Jon Hurdle, a freelance writer who regularly reports on water and other environmental issues, is part of the NJ Spotlight COVID-19 reporting team. The authorities will be conducting radiological assessments across the school's 28-acre campus, including the testing of indoor air samples for radon. Why is the cancer that killed John McCain so deadly? He went on to recover from the disease. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . 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. For an interactive map version. According to American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is normally extremely rare with an incidence of 3.21 per 100,000 people. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Because cancer clusters are often suspected in very small subpopulations like neighborhoods, apartment buildings or homes on the same side of the street they can be very difficult to establish, Platz said. 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