colonia high school brain cancer

You can also see how much the average bill changed from 2020. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. He's now among the many calling on the town, state and federal government to do more. It's the largest oil spill cleanup company in the United States. 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. More than 100 graduates of a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors over the past 30 years, prompting concern that there might be a connection between the school and the tumor cases. In a memo to the school community, superintendent Joseph Massimino wrote, "Remote instruction is only available in the event of an active health crisis or emergency.". "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 carried by the New York Post. 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. Lupiano also spoke with CBS News on Thursday, saying he now believes ionizing radiation must be responsible for the health issues. There's no proof yet that anything at CHS is the cause. More recently, a 1999 graduate died in 2016 of a head/neck tumor, while a 1998 graduate was diagnosed in 2014 with astrocytoma, a cancer of the brain stem. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. "Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor," Lupiano said. 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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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. According to the National Cancer Institute, "cases of cancer can appear to cluster even when there is no connection among them." 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. 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. Woodbridge officials are now trying to determine an underlying cause for the disease. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not, he said. Out of roughly 10,000 people, having more than five dozen cases of brain tumors and cancers is far above the average. He went on to recover from the disease. 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. If no link is found with the high school specifically, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, said other potential points of connection in the township will be explored, according to NBC Today. 94 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey are part of a cancer cluster of still unknown origin. "I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone. Support our nonprofit newsroom. McCormac, who lives three blocks from Colonia High School,is not yet convinced of a link. For anothertwo decades, he held similar jobs withbig companies including Lockheed Martin. The Township of Woodbridge, in cooperation with the Woodbridge Township School District, has taken the proactive initiative to contract with T&M and Cabrera Services, Inc., a nationally recognized radiological and environmental remediation company, to engage their team of environmentalists to begin collecting data at Colonia High School, the town said in a statement. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. Lupiano began researching to see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors. Lupiano said his teamdealt withanti-terrorism work, radioactive materials, and chemical and biological agents. His sister died from it in February. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. Ultimately, if it isnt a radiation source that is causing these illnesses, Lupiano says other tests can be done to pinpoint a cause. Victim No. 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. Market data provided by Factset. Since . 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. By that time, we hope the federal agencies are going to take over. Donavyn was a Fulbright Fellow to Denmark where she studiedmolecular nutrition and food policy. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com. The disturbing development came to the fore after one of the former students Al Lupiano - a cancer survivor - decided to untangle the mystery. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. According to agency estimates, about 21,000 people die each year from radon-related lung cancer. 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR IN US HISTORY DUE TO COVID-19, DRUG OVERDOSES. 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. Back in March, Colonia High graduate Al Lupiano posted his theory about possible links between brain tumors diagnoses among 1990s and early 2000s graduates of Colonia High and since then, he gathered the names of at least 110 grads with brain tumors, according to Fox News Digital. 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. Its overwhelming. The vast majority dont have a cause that explains the cluster, said Laumbach, who is leading a federal study into the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), so-called forever chemicals, among 1,300 residents of Paulsboro in Gloucester County. In a statement to CBS News, Lupiano said he is "anxiously awaiting the results of the two-week-long radiological survey which concluded this weekend" and he anticipates he will receive the results in weeks. His sister Angela Decillis. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. 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. If it's an ongoing issue, we may have to go through this all over again in 10 to 20 years. 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 a joint statement to CBS News, the New Jersey Department of Health and the state's Department of Environmental Protection said the agencies "are aware of the concerns raised by local residents, particularly as they relate to Colonia High School, and are partnering with Mayor McCormac and Woodbridge Township to better understand the issue and determine whether any relevant environmental exposure concerns are present at the site.". The investigation will consider very granular data on graduates, like their occupations, family history and other activities that could affect their exposures. The states Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette backed up the mayors declaration the school was safe. 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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. Lupiano said he has had meetings with county, state and federal agencies, which he said in a March 25 post "are going well.". After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . I will not rest until I have answers, Lupiano, 50, declared in an interview with NJ.com and the Star-Ledger on Thursday. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormack told the outlet that his office initiated conversations with the Woodbridge Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry about opening investigations into potential radiation exposure stemming from the high school's campus. Last year, his wife who also attended Colonia was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. 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. "Colonia is not a mega high school. 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. 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. In August 2021, DeCillis received her diagnosis of Grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive, rare, and deadly form of brain cancer. Its not air. 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. They have a lot more resources at their disposal. The Department of Health will work with the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and will conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects. Normally speaking, you dont get radiation in a high school unless something is going on in that area that we dont know, Raval added, calling for an immediate investigation. But as the study continues, a number of people in the community are looking for some kind of reassurance. NJ high school linked to mystery cancer cases. The authorities will be conducting radiological assessments across the school's 28-acre campus, including the testing of indoor air samples for radon. "This approach of calculating the expected number was done to provide context to . A subsequent TikTok video discussing the medical mystery has also racked up more than 2.2 million viral views in just 24 hours. for 7-year-old's rare brain cancer. (Al Lupiano), "[A]s of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor," Luapiano said in an update on his Faceboook post. Colonia High School Officials conduct a radiological survey on the school's baseball field. The school district's superintendent, Dr. Joseph Massimino, said in March that he was waiting to hear from the environmental agencies on next steps. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. "We can get in there today and take air, water and soil samples and have results back the same day," Lupiano said. "However, I still think we need to expedite the next phase of testing including water, soil, and air, to determine if more than one contaminant is present," he said. While the exact number of former faculty and staff diagnosed with glioblastoma is not precisely known, the cancer is exceedingly rare. My wife had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma," Lupiano said. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. We are looking at possible things that we can do between the town and school, and they said they will look at anything we come up with, McCormac said. CBS News has reached out and is awaiting response from the principal of the school, superintendent and mayor as well as the Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. 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.. Legal Statement. He has continued to update followers on social media and on Thursday, said the list stood at 115 people who had either malignant or benign tumors. Twentyyears earlier, he was also diagnosed with an aggressive 36-millimeter acoustic neuroma. COLONIA, N.J. -- There is a growing push to go back to remote learning at one New Jersey high school, but not because of COVID fears. In the 1980's, the contaminated residential properties were cleaned up, and the excavated soil was stored at the site in a specially constructed pile, known as the Vicinity Properties (VP) pile," the USACE New York Division's website states. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. . But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a "cancer cluster" just yet. All rights reserved. Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. The EPA says that inhaling radon for a long time increases your risk of lung cancer. LaTourette said during the press conference every possible link to cancer was tested. In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. 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