My MIL died of lung cancer. The pool is getting a new liner, gutter and deck, along with new filtration systems. WWE Star Sonya Deville Arrested In Atlantic City On Gun Charge, Atlantic City Official & Council Candidate Facing Assault Charge, Former Press of Atlantic City Office Building To Get New Purpose, Atlantic City Area Residents Share Favorite Childhood Memories, Atlantic City, NJ Mayor Leading Free Resident Credit Repair Effort, Atlantic City, NJ Area Great Hurricane Of 1944 (AMAZING PHOTOS), Atlantic Citys Chris Ford Proved That Nice Guys Finish First, NJ Author Discusses What We Can Do to Address Bullying in Schools. One former student, Al Lupiano, 50, was diagnosed with brain tumors in the 1990s but subsequently recovered, according to NJ.com. At the time, medium lifespan for her type of tumor was 18 months. In an acknowledgement of the significance of Komoreks findings, the district sent out a statement to parents and guardians Monday evening. Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began researching the matter and reaching out to people on Facebook who had attended the school and been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Both had graduated from Colonia High School, the news outlet reported. Superintendent Joseph Massiminio the district worked with representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the state Department of Health, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Disease Control, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to discuss the matter, and that national firms T&M Associates and Cabrera Services were tasked with collecting data and conducting the necessary tests. There could be a real problem here, and our residents deserve to know if there are any dangers, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac said, according to the outlet. What would you do if you went to the doctor, you arent feeling well, asked Matthew DeCillis, whose wife, Angela, died from a brain tumor in February. Lupiano said the rarity of the brain tumors raised concerns of the neurologist they shared since they all grew up in relatively the same neighborhood. Social media has played a big role in shining the light of truth on this situation. Woodbridge will not get preliminary test results until after this Saturday, April 23, said Hagerty. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. On the National Cancer Institutes list of 27 common afflictions, tumors in the brain and nervous system rank 19th in terms of case rate but 5th-lowest in terms of the chances of survival. The probe was the result of concerns about a possible brain tumor cluster linked to graduates and staff from Colonia High, a school of about 1,300 students in Middlesex County. And today we now stand at 117 individuals with primary brain tumors, and another 70 with very rare cancers.". Both sisters graduated from Colonia High School, just like Al Lupiano in 1989, his wife Michelle in 1991, and his sister, Angela Decillis in 1995. A high school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, is being investigated by environmental experts after reports of more than 100 former students and staff being diagnosed with brain tumors. Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. The same day my sister was diagnosed (August 2021), I received the devastating news my wife Michele (nee Zawada) also has a very large (3.0 cm), very rare brain tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma (aka Vestibular Schwannoma) on her left side. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. His name is on it, along with his wife and late sister. Colonia High School: Environmentalists determining possible link between New Jersey school and brain tumors - ABC7 Chicago tumor Former students wonder if their brain tumors are. All the affected attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, dating back decades. Nsikan runs the health and science desk at WNYC/Gothamist. Lupiano has spearheaded a public push for answers after he started a Facebook group focused on former Colonia students and the rare brain cancer, the outlet noted. Federal agencies are also assisting in the investigation. Several types of primary brain tumors, including cancerous forms like glioblastoma and noncancerous yet debilitating masses such as acoustic neuromas, haemangioblastomas and meningiomas, have been diagnosed, according to the outlet. "In conclusion, the results of the radiological investigation at the high school and grounds are within the normal variation of background radiation levels in New Jersey and are therefore not indicative of concern over radiological exposure to individuals at the site," state DEP Commisioner Shawn LaTourette wrote in a letter to the township. ET: The spelling of Michele DeCillis has been corrected. By pairing specialists and experts in the field of cancer with robust resources, facilities, and technologies, Hackensack Meridian Cancer Care is committed to getting patients back to the life they love. The testers are specifically testing for radon levels in the air after 1989 Colonia High School grad Al Lupiano proposed this theory that he found an unusually high number of brain. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. $4 Million Settlement Mass Torts $203 Million Class Action Financial Services $75 Million Class Action Mass Torts $200 Million Class Action What treatments are available for the afflicted? Theyre testing the air for radon. They learned of their tumors eight days apart. The mother of two Colonia High students who believed not enough environmental testing was done in the aftermath of reports of a possible brain tumor cluster connected to the school told NJ Advance Media she has found evidence of highly toxic chemicals at Colonia through her own independent testing. This is when a low-level radioactive rock was found and removed from the school grounds. Earlier this year, 1989 Colonia High School graduate Al Lupiano developed a list of more than 120 people who were students, teachers or staff members at the school from the 1970s to 1990s. An alumnus of Colonia High School in Woodbridege, N.J. is investigating his former high school, claiming he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there to have had a rare brain. In presenting her findings, Komorek urged the district to share her findings with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. You can find glioblastoma, which are terminal. Through his posts, Lupiano, CHS Class of 1989, wanted to find out if CHS is the cause of primary brain tumors that have affected more than 100 former students and staff. 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. All three were diagnosed with a brain tumor. "That started setting off bells and whistles in my head.". The governor wont be embracing the bill despised by landlords and supported by tenant advocates. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist and a 1989 graduate of the N.J. high school began investigating Colonia High School in Woodbridge when he realized many others with ties to the school suffered the rare brain tumors, just like he did, 20 years ago. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. He started researching and made a public plea on Facebook to anyone from the school who was diagnosed with primary brain tumors. If you are an alumni or staff member of Colonia High School and have developed a brain tumor, contact MLG today! ", ALSO READ | Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac told WABC that the situation was "alarming because there are just so many people with a tumormalignant or benign, and it's serious.". National Cancer Institutes list of 27 common afflictions. "I am beyond pleased to announce that after an extensive field investigation that included assessing the classrooms, school building materials, and the entire 28 acres of the Colonia High School campus, no radiological hazards were identified that warrant further investigation," he wrote in a letter to families. A New Jersey town is planning to conduct environmental testing at Colonia High School after a resident discovered dozens of people connected to the school had developed rare brain tumors. Alumni links 65 rare brain tumor cases to NJ high school, investigation launched. The school was built in 1967 and currently serves roughly 1,300 students, the NY Post noted. The township announced results of an investigation. Mystery as 100 people. He made a public plea on Facebook to anyone from the school who was diagnosed with primary brain tumors. Lupiano is still looking for any and all Colonia High School alumni to come forward. All rights reserved. The institute predicts about 290,000 people will develop breast cancer in 2022 compared to 25,000 for brain cancer. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Youre 98.6, youre fine, go home. ", First Patch report: Brain Tumor Link To Colonia High School 'Credible,' Town's Mayor Says, Get great local news about YOUR town and state. "It is also important to note that the data compiled and posted to social media by Mr. Lupiano has yet to be evaluated and verified by any federal, state, county or municipal agency with competent jurisdiction to fully vet and verify his research. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The New Jersey state Department of Health. I will uncover the truth," Lupiano said to NJ.com. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. Luciano has reported his findings to Colonia High School. Over 1,300 cases have been reported of people getting sick after eating the Lucky Charms cereal. His wife and sister found out on the same day last August - two hours apart. Print |. He shared a 2020 Emmy for the PBS NewsHour series Stopping a Killer Pandemic and in 2019 received a George FosterPeabodyAwardfor the PBS NewsHour series The Plastic Problem. Nsikan has also worked for NPR, Science News Magazine, Science Magazine, KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and as a writer at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University. "100as of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor," Lupiano wrote on Facebook last Monday, April 11. The couple's neurologist was baffled. That is the conclusion federal, state, county and township officials concluded after weeks of radiological testing inside and outside of school grounds in April and May. Nearly 100 people attending a single high school in New Jersey have developed rare forms of brain cancer. Komorek presented her findings Monday to Woodbridge superintendent Joseph Massimino, Colonia principal Kenneth Pace and Woodbridge Education Association president Brian Geoffroy. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! Primary brain tumors are tumors that originate in the brain, as opposed to secondary tumors which start somewhere else and then spread to the brain. Immediate action from our State and Federal agencies is warranted, Lupiano said. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a "cancer cluster" just yet. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. Google Maps. Lupiano said he started searching for instances of Colonia High graduates having brain tumors and was stunned to discover 15 people in total, with two newly discovered cases pending further . McCormac, along with schools Superintendent Joseph Massimino; Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; and Judith Persichilli, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, announced the results of the radiation testing during a press conference at CHS on May 26. The environmental testing is expected to last a month. The testing actually started April 9, and testers have been seen walking around Colonia High School, taking air samples to test for radiation, said Woodbridge town spokesman John Hagerty. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . They learned of their tumors just eight days apart, while Janice was pregnant with her and Jason's only child. The municipal council in Woodbridge, which oversees Colonia High School, approved an emergency contract earlier this month to start radiological testing of the grounds at the high school. Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily. My best friend had a cancerous brain tumor. She made it five years.". Before National Geographic, he worked for more than four years at PBS NewsHour, where he co-created anaward-winning video series named ScienceScope. And there are many different forms of these cancers. Earlier this year, Lupianos sister lost her battle with a very rare and highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) at age 44. Here are the details: The lists below show 4-year graduation rates for New Jersey public schools for the 2020-21 school year. Komorek was so alarmed by the findings that she decided to pull her daughters out of Colonia this week and enroll them in another Woodbridge high school, per the districts transfer policy. 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. Is the school built on some kind of a dumpsite? All Rights Reserved. WOODBRIDGE Levels of radiation in and around Colonia High School were found to be consistent with typical background levels of radiation found in New Jersey and no further testing is warranted. How did this incident come to light in the first place? The conversation is available below. As of Thursday, Lupiano said he has confirmed 65 cases of people with rare brain tumors and they all are either Colonia High School graduates or had worked there, he says. His wife graduated in 1991. There may need to be other steps taken. He emphasized that there's no need for residents in the community to go get emergency cancer imaging scans immediately. When he started digging and looking for a link, the common link was Colonia High School. BSN or must obtain within 3 years. Her sister, Cheryl Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. His wife. Township officials have posted the radiological reports on the township website at www.twp.woodbridge.nj.us. At the time of the CBS interview in late March, Lupiano claimed to have confirmed 65 cases of rare brain tumors, all affecting people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School. The community is absolutely unnerved and absolutely terrified by what's going on here. The school is expected to remain open during this time. Sign up for Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com, this resolution approved at their April 5 meeting, Brain Tumor Link To Colonia High School 'Credible,' Town's Mayor Says. Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to primary malignant brain tumors at the age of 38, became one of many convinced that a cluster a. Find NJ.com on Faceboo. In his first public comments on the matter, Murphy told reporters he is taking this issue "very seriously," but also cautioned: "I don't know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation," Murphy said, according to 101.5. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor, Lupiano said. Both sisters were graduates of Colonia High School. Radiological assessments will be conducted throughout the schools 28-acre campus, as well as indoor radon testing, this coming Easter weekend, the New York Post reported. Lupianos wife was also diagnosed with a brain tumor, the NY Post reported. A A. "I had told my sister from the very beginning that there was too much of a coincidence that me, my wife and her all have the same tumor," Lupiano said. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick lives just a few blocks from the high school. . 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 has kind of spearheaded all of this. They are testing the grounds outside and inside of the high school inside. The sample was collected using a laboratory-prepared hexane wipe and placed in a pre-cleaned, laboratory-provided jar, with a screw-on lid. Lupiano says that most of the people on his list were at the high school prior to 1997. His sister succumbed to brain cancer. He said he is specifically looking for anyone who graduated from or attend Colonia High School from approximately 1975 to 1995. 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. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. Lupiano's sister, Angela, died on February 17 from Glioblastoma Multiforme or GBM. Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media. Lupiano has been able to confirm that 94 former students and staff of Colonia High School had developed brain tumors, as per coverage in New York Post. Its not contaminated water. Al Lupiano, a graduate of the high school, believes there's a link between Colonia High School and brain tumors diagnosed in 108 people over a period of three decades, ending in the early 2000s. Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. A stock photo shows medical workers looking at a brain scan or brain scans. Correction 04/26/2022 9.51 a.m. An investigation into the possible link between Colonia High School and cancer found no radiological hazards that warranted further investigation. His sister Angela Decillis graduated in 1995. Donate today, Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations. Such odds help to explain the public surprise after NJ Advance Media reported in early April that New Jerseyans living in the neighboring communities of Woodbridge and Colonia have developed various forms of brain tumors. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Is it a cancer cluster or just a coincidence? 2023 New York Public Radio. 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