Lupiano says he has a solution, that he's negotiated with the Manhattan-based Brain Tumor Foundation to provide free MRI brain screenings to anyone who may want one. .. Advertisement .. Over 100 Former Students, Staff Of New Jersey School Get Rare Cancer, Probe Launched, S Jaishankar's "Firm" Reply To UK Minister Who Raised BBC Tax Row: Sources, Nithyananda's 'Republic Of Kailasa' At UN Meet. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. Lupiano launched the bid after his sister passed away from the disease and his wife too was diagnosed with the exact same form of aggressive tumour glioblastoma. 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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. Parent Edyta Komorek said she and other parents are thinking about transferring their kids to another district. Its not contaminated water. Why is the cancer that killed John McCain so deadly? Rather than looking at all central nervous system cancers over 30 years, investigators will likely look at rates of specific types of brain tumors and how long after high school these tumors developed, she said. 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. There are noeasily available records from the land before CHS was built in 1967, according to McCormac. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma has an incidence of3.21 per 100,000. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. 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. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding, in part, students return to remote learning. "Also, records later revealed that in 1948, some radioactively contaminated materials had been trucked from the plant to the Middlesex Municipal Landfill (MML), one-half mile away. "It's too important. 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. 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. Now, he's gone public with the suggestion that Colonia could be one such site. This is only one of many, many tests that can be performed. 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. 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. 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. "We can get in there today and take air, water and soil samples and have results back the same day," Lupiano said. You can also see how much the average bill changed from 2020. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. DeCillis earned her doctorate of nursing practice from Rutgers Universityin 2015. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Please enter valid email address to continue. In other words, they will need to prove by statistical analysis that more Colonia staff and graduates developed brain cancer than people with their same characteristics (age, sex, location) over the same time. 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. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," he told CBS News York. Over 100 former students and staff from a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors. In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. 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. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach and athletic director. Many of the former staff and teachers included in the total lived outside Woodbridge Township making the high school, so far, the only clear link. 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. What I find alarming is theres truly only one environmental link to primary brain tumors, and thats ionizing radiation, he declared. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. "Al has presented enough evidence that warrants further attention, but we have to rely on the experts to draw their conclusions.". "We continue receiving lip service, that we're here to help, but when we look around, they are nowhere to be found.". The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and on school grounds, according to NJ Spotlight News. "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. The Anti-Defamation League said the phrase at the center of the question was popularized as a trolling campaign by members of 4chan a notorious anonymous message board and was adopted by . Heres how it works. He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June and says he's had trouble working with local officials to find one. She died on Feb. 17, 2022, at 44 years old. Like 6 Comments |. Woodbridge officials are now trying to determine an underlying cause for the disease. He had developed 'rare' brain tumor some 20 years ago. Now, an investigation is underway to determine if the school Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey is linked with a cancer cluster. / CBS New York. 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. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. 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. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. Its not air. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. 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. "Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor," Lupiano said. McCormac said he was very concerned to learn of the possible link. 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. According to United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. "If I was a parent with a child in the school, I'd be literally sick to my stomach thinking, is my child at risk right this second?" 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. The viral TikTok video discussing the purported cancer cluster was posted Wednesday by popular personality Dr. Joe Whittington. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. In April, Woodbridge approved environmental testing at the school, but those results won't be made available until the end of June. One parent told the outlet she doesnt think the probe did enough testing because it didnt take water or soil samples. 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. On April 10, Mr. Lupiano's list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. This is how New Jersey saw the world from 1940-to 1980. And all three were diagnosed with rare forms of brain cancers or tumors on the left side of their brains. The chances of one person gettingacoustic neuroma are roughly 1 in 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. That's what makes the numbers staggering," says Lupiano. "I will not rest until I have answers," the 50-year-old told NJ.com. for 7-year-old's rare brain cancer. Last summer, Lupiano's wife and now-deceased sister were diagnosed with rare brain tumors on the same day. 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. All are awaiting results from the radiation testing at the school before deciding how to get involved and proceed with the investigation. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. All these photos are from AP and Getty publications, meaning they were used in a magazine or newspaper. Schools Brain Tumor Link To Colonia High School 'Credible,' Town's Mayor Says A scientist's theory that a contaminant at the Woodbridge school is linked to 65 rare brain tumors is being taken . Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. 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. 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. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. A man investigating his former high school in New Jersey says he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there have had a rare brain tumor. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. There's no proof yet that anything at CHS is the cause. 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. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. "As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation," he wrote. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. / CBS News. A report outlining results is expected in about a month, McCormac said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If we dont find anything, we have to start looking at other potential candidates, whether its chemicals or something in the soil or air. The issue became national headline in the United States after CBS News aired a story on it. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). They have a lot more resources at their disposal. "We're all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, I make $80k selling nudes to pay for cancer treatment men love bald look, Jimmy Carters niece says former president still has some time in him, Experts say youve been storing potatoes wrong this whole time and shut down cancer rumors, Joe Exotics doctors suspect he has bladder cancer but hes refusing treatment: report. First published on May 4, 2022 / 10:52 PM. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. "We got the state and federal agencies involved, and we're starting some testing of the grounds and the air this weekend," McCormac said. He died 15 years ago from brain cancer. His sister had recently died of cancer. Lupiano was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in the late 1990s, at the age of 27. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". Gov. 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. The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and school. In part, students return to remote learning may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed Lupiano. 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