When he started digging and looking for a link, the common link was Colonia High School. Lupiano started researching. Our journalism needs your support. He started researching and made a public plea on Facebook to anyone from the school who was diagnosed with primary brain tumors. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. ", "We are taking this incredibly seriously," Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac told Patch earlier this April, saying that he finds Lupiano's theory "quite credible and legitimate. Since March . 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 tumor, according to CBS News. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. He added that the Environmental Protection Agency has gotten involved in the investigation. 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. A graduate as recent as 2014 was found to have a primary brain tumor. All Rights Reserved. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. As the Senior Producer for Morning Edition on WNYC, Alec works hard to get listeners all the latest news and delightful stories from New York City, northern New Jersey and beyond. Officials are looking for potential radiation at the school. All rights reserved (About Us). Massimino said in the memo the district has contacted our environmental consultants, the Health Department of the Township of Woodbridge, and Township Officials to review the information. He also said the township shared the information with the State Department of Environmental Protection and the State Department of Health.. Thanks to social media, Lupiano found a total of 104 former students and faculty with brain tumors - about half are cancerous. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. How did this incident come to light in the first place? "Given the ongoing environmental investigation and testing, it is premature to comment on any link and/or causation of cancer diagnosis that may or may not be related to Colonia High School," said Woodbridge town spokesman Hagerty. He holds a doctorate in pathobiology from Columbia University and is an alum of the science communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. 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. It has been lightly edited for clarity. She loves a good music pun and wakes up very very early. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist,. As per this resolution approved at their April 5 meeting, the Woodbridge town Council hired T & M Associates and Cabrera Services, Inc. to do the radon testing (officially called "environmental engineering services for radiological assessment") at the high school. Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000, said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the news. Hochul deflects when asked about 'good cause' eviction bill, Judge: Former coach's discrimination lawsuit against New York Giants and NFL can proceed, Supreme Court justices pour water on NYs push to save mob-busting seaport watchdog, NJ Legislature OKs bill to make landlords, sellers warn residents about past floods. Mar 30, 2022 The Wanted's Tom Parker Dies at 33 After Brain Tumor Battle Al Lupiano, a graduate of the high school, believes there's a link between Colonia High School and brain. Lupiano grew up in Woodbridge Township and he now works as an environmental scientist; he no longer lives in Woodbridge. (RELATED: Video Shows Man Repeatedly Running Over Woman With SUV After Minor Incident). 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. Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. His name is on it, along with his wife and late sister. He was diagnosed 20 years ago. "Colonia is not a mega high school. This is when a low-level radioactive rock was found and removed from the school grounds. I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15, he told CBS News York of the list, which now totals 115 people who had either malignant or benign tumors. United States Department of Environmental Protection. You can find glioblastoma, which are terminal. My best friend had a cancerous brain tumor. Dr. Joseph Massimino, superintendent of Woodbridge Township School District has commented that they are waiting for more details and formulating next steps, in coordination with New Jersey environmental agencies. This is also great news for all former students who attended and staff to work at CHS since it opened back in 1968., McCormac said they sympathize with anyone who has experienced brain tumors and brain cancers, especially those who lost loved ones to the terrible disease, but there is no cause-and-effect relation between those illnesses and the buildings or grounds at CHS.. What treatments are available for the afflicted? It motivated Lupiano to create a Facebook group to determine if there were more Colonia High School alumni had developed brain tumors or other conditions. No one knows why. There's a vast array of treatments, but again, we're dealing with so many different types of primary brain tumors here that they're all treated very differently. DeCillis died in February from glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer. 2023 New York Public Radio. The school was built in 1967 and currently serves roughly 1,300 students, the NY Post noted. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. A comprehensive investigation of soil, indoor air, and groundwater shall be conducted to determine if children and staff are exposed to unhealthy levels of toxins other than already identified PCBs and pesticides., In his letter to the parents in the school district, Massimino wrote: Nothing in the newly reported information has any bearing on the prior studies which determined last spring that no radiation was found inside or outside of Colonia High School. Mayor McCormac says the Environmental Protection Agency is now involved. Colonia High School was reportedly the common denominator among those suffering from the tumors Credit: CBS NEW YORK Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. "When I started looking into it, I quickly amassed 15 of our classmates with these rare brain tumors," he told NewsNation. After some digging, a man who attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, discovered more than 100 former students and staff members had been diagnosed with the same sort of brain tumor diagnosed in his wife, his sister and himself. Donate today, Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor, Lupiano said. All three were diagnosed with a brain tumor. 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. 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. 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. 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Dr. Marc Siegel discusses brain tumors that emerged among former Colonia High School students on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.' Local and federal environmental agencies say they are assisting. A stock photo shows medical workers looking at a brain scan or brain scans. The school campus is just under 12 miles from the Middlesex Sampling Plant, which was used to crush, cry, store, package and ship uranium ore during the development of the atomic bomb under direction from the Manhattan Project, the outlet continued. Also, just on Monday Gov. "I need your help Facebook. A soil sample taken from near the northern wall of the school similarly indicated PCBs concentration of 575 mg/kg, exceeding the New Jersey Soil Remediation Standard. Both sisters were graduates of Colonia High School. Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at [email protected]. He has contacted: Mayor McCormac confirmed these details yesterday to PEOPLE Magazine. Other toxic elements and compounds could exist at the schools property due to presence of suspected fill material, potential illegal disposal of chemicals or contaminant migration from surrounding properties, Komorek stated in her letter. 100 former NJ high school students . So, would you take us through what is known so far about this cluster? "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. "In addition, DEP's further review does not indicate sources of environmental exposures of concern to public health. ET: The spelling of Michele DeCillis has been corrected. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac immediately and responsibly got engaged. Columns with an asterisk or 'N' indicate there was no data or it was suppressed to protect student privacy. "The EPA and CDC are not testing at Colonia High School," said Hagerty. Listing for: Select Medical Corporation. Jason Wisinksi lost his wife Janice 10 years ago to an inoperable brain tumor called Anaplastic Astrocytoma. All of the cases have ties to Colonia High School, either as students or employees. Job specializations: Healthcare. Some are incredibly aggressive forms of cancer that need very aggressive forms of treatment. 100 PEOPLE WITH RARE TUMORS WHO ATTENDED SAME NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL DEMAND ANSWERS The 110 people that Lupiano has counted on his list of former Colonia High School graduates have been. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! Please consider subscribing to NJ.com. Im optimistic that when all is said and done, we will have a definitive link of what caused this to happen to all of us and Im hopeful that we can take that knowledge and prevent it from ever happening again.. The community is absolutely unnerved and absolutely terrified by what's going on here. 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. This all came to fruition in August of last year, and it just startled Lupiano. 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. T&M Associates subcontracted Cabrera Services Inc., a radiological environmental and remediation company, of East Hartford, Connecticut. Township officials have posted the radiological reports on the township website at www.twp.woodbridge.nj.us. Advocates, for months, implored state and local officials to undertake more testing. But according to the new results, the school currently poses no danger. Part Time, Per diem position. Stanmyre joined WNYC's Morning Edition host Michael Hill to explain the latest on these cases and what the investigation could entail. He made a public plea on Facebook to anyone from the school who was diagnosed with primary brain tumors. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Al Lupiano revealed he had a brain tumor 20 years ago, before his wife had one and so did his sister - who died in February aged just 44. Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. 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. 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. Some of these are non-cancerous, yet very debilitating forms of brain tumor. 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