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. His sister succumbed to brain cancer. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. So, would . "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. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. Is the school built on some kind of a dumpsite? Is Colonia High School the cause of primary brain tumors in former students and staff from 1975 to 1995? Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. In April, the township entered an emergency agreement with T&M Associates, of Middletown, for professional environmental engineering services for a radiological assessment of Colonia High in an amount not to exceed $221,350. Additionally, T&M Associates has begun conducting historic site research to obtain any and all necessary records related to the construction of Colonia High School when it was built in 1967, through to the present. Advertisement. Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily. Rohit Ranjan. CNN's Ana Cabrera speaks to Al Lupiano, a former student. 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. Is it a cancer cluster or just a coincidence? 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. The school is expected to remain open during this time. Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media. Lupianos quest for information took him to Facebook last month, and that list of people who went to or worked at Colonia High School - and have a primary brain tumor - is now closing in on 100 cases. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. 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 . Lupianoknew that something was very wrong here. Concerns were raised by Al Lupiano, a 1989 graduate of Colonia High School, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor along with his wife Michele and sister Angela DeCillis, both of whom had also attended the school. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. The testing was prompted after township officials learned of various social media posts related to several instances of brain tumors and brain cancer among students and faculty of CHS from . Lupiano, an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, believed it was a pattern. I didnt feel that my kids were safe there until actual soil, groundwater and air samples were collected and nobody wanted to do it.. Immediate action from our State and Federal agencies is warranted, Lupiano said. . Whittington believes that the Colonia High School students and staff have developed glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor that invades the nearby brain tissue. The soil also tested positive for excessive levels of chlordane, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide all pesticides, the report said. I made a promise to my sister while she was dying that if something did this to us, I will find out what did it, Lupiano says. "Colonia is not a mega high school. As of April 11, Lupiano wrote on this personal Facebook page that he now has tracked about 100 people with rare brain tumors and they all are either Colonia High School graduates or worked in the school building. My list quickly started multiplyingit all seemed to be linked back to the high school. Colonia High School graduateAl Lupiano talks to @KatyTurNBC about gathering names of over 80 individuals with rare brain tumors who attended the school. Komorek said the results of her testing indicate state environmental officials should conduct further tests of the air, soil and building compounds at Colonia. While generally only life threatening if left untreated, radiation and surgical removal typically leaves individuals with numerous debilitations including chronic headaches, balance issues, fatigue, deafness, slurred speech, inability to blink, and facial paralysis (to name only a few), and that assumes it doesnt begin to regrow in the future. Job specializations: Healthcare. Job in West Orange - Essex County - NJ New Jersey - USA , 07052. ', Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. Theyre testing the air for radon. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. "We're just going to wait to find out. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . No one knows exactly what it is. ', * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts, AccuWeather: AM showers before a mild afternoon, Extra Time: Breaking down massive NYC, NYPD settlement, Teammate facing charges in crash that killed local UGA player. Doctor/Physician. 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. The reports he got back were startling, and he saw patterns emerging. ", "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. He said, What are the odds of this? It's exceeding one in a billion that three people this closely tied together would all have brain tumors. The New Jersey state Department of Health. 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. No one knows why. 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. The ground and air testing will begin on Saturday. Both had graduated from Colonia High School, the news outlet reported. He found a total of 104 former students and faculty, and about half were cancerous. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 1999. Lupiano, an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, picked up on a trend. Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. "What I find alarming is there's truly only one environmental link to primary brain tumors and that's ionizing radiation, said Lupiano. They all attended or worked at Colonia High School most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000. The environmental assessment study at Colonia High School was recently completed, in response to allegations that suggested the school had radiological hazards that contributed to diagnoses. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. The results will then be reviewed by federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, plus the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Health. 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 cancers and brain tumors, and said they could be linked to the high school. 100 former NJ high school students . 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. In May, the district and state announced an environmental assessment of all 28 acres in and around Colonia found no traces of radiological contaminants and the school was deemed safe for students and staff. Lupiano has confirmed that he will not stop until he finds out what has happened here over the years at Colonia High School. "When I started looking into it, I quickly amassed 15 of our classmates with these rare brain tumors," he told NewsNation. 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. He says that the evidence that Lupiano has collected is a cause for concern, which is why the city will pay for emergency testing at the school this weekend. They said it was about a one in a billion odds. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I had stage 4 cancer. Lupiano has found nearly 200 people with links to Colonia High School who have brain tumors or other rare cancers. 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. They may need to excavate soil underneath the school. 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. "My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day - I talk to her all the time," Wisinski said. 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. 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. As the school remains open during the investigation, some students are concerned. At the time, the medium lifespan for her type of tumor was 18 months. "It's certainly concerning because the rate of primary brain tumors is certainly higher than what we would expect in the general population," said Dr. Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer at the American Cancer Society. Environmental engineers have been testing for radiation at Colonia High School in New Jersey after reports that over 100 former students and staff members were diagnosed with brain tumors. His sister Angela Decillis graduated in 1995. Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmentalscientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is relentlessly looking for answers. Qualifications: Current and valid New Jersey Registered Nurse license is required. Newsweek has reached out to Colonia High School and McCormac. 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.. Since . 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. "My wife fought like crazy. He was diagnosed 20 years ago. State health officials are now conducting an investigation into the cluster of 117 people. Mystery as 100 people. But we'd love to be able to rule out the school.". 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. Earlier this year, Colonia graduate Al Lupiano, also an environmental scientist, discovered more than 100 teachers and alums of the school who reported having brain tumors, drawing international attention to the community and sparking state and local investigations. $4 Million Settlement Mass Torts $203 Million Class Action Financial Services $75 Million Class Action Mass Torts $200 Million Class Action "In addition, DEP's further review does not indicate sources of environmental exposures of concern to public health. He is keeping a list. It's just that rare. So that has already begun. They learned of their tumors eight days apart. 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. 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. 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. Janice was pregnant with her and Jason's only child. Her sister, Cheryl Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. Are you a Colonia High School graduate that has been diagnosed with a brain tumor? She made it five years," said Jason Wisinski. I pray we find answers. The results indicated PCBs at concentration of 50,500 mg/kg, exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory level of 50 mg/kg, according to the report. Thats what makes the numbers staggering, says Lupiano. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist,. United States Department of Environmental Protection. Lupiano is still looking for any and all Colonia High School alumni to come forward. Unfortunately, that didnt happen.. Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. Concerns were raised by Al Lupiano, a 1989 graduate of Colonia High School, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor along with his wife Michele and sister Angela DeCillis, both of whom had. The 50-year-old claims the diseases could be traced. 94 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey are part of a cancer cluster of still unknown origin. An investigation into the possible link between Colonia High School and cancer found no radiological hazards that warranted further investigation. But I want to be careful to say that it's very early in the investigation. It will take about two weeks. Lupiano says that most of the people on his list were at the high school prior to 1997. Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. All three family members attended Colonia High, the NY Post noted. 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