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Radiation tests are being carried out at a New Jersey high school where over 100 former students and staff are reported to have developed brain tumors and cancerand the . Now, he's gone public with the suggestion that Colonia could be one such site. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. McCormac said he was very concerned to learn of the possible link. The health department also looked at brain cancer rates for Colonia High School and compared them to rates of brain cancer throughout New Jersey and the United States. On Tuesday after a public push by Lupiano local officials approved an emergency probe of the school. His wife was similarly diagnosed with an abnormally large AN tumor, and his sister was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which has an incident rate of 30 out of every 1 million people, Lupiano explained in a Facebook post that he has been updating since March 7. More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Colonia High School Costello-Greiner Funeral Home - Woodbridge Sunday, January 1, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory Sandra Wilson Sandra Wilson was born to Sarah Wilson and James Bradley on November. He thinks the cases stem from contaminated soil, but there's no data to prove that at this point. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. Landolfi and others said theres not enough evidence to support fears that the illnesses were caused by exposure to high levels of radiation, with one theory that the cause may have been a rock containing uranium used in a science lab. Immediately I knew exactly what I was looking at. Its overwhelming. The number of reported victims has been growing since Al Lupiano, a former student in the 1980s and a cancer victim himself, appealed for names in a Facebook post on March 7. "I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. 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. To find something like this is a significant discovery, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of New Jerseys top neuro-oncologists, told the outlet. "It was clearly alarming enough that it merited further attention and I just helped him get that attention. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. He's identifiedat least 65 people, including graduates and former staff who walked the halls of CHS from 1975 to 1995. All rights reserved, mysterious cluster of brain tumors dating back decades, He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June, NJ Parents Demand Swifter Action in School Cancer Probe After 100+ Brain Tumors Diagnosed, Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, Next Winter Storm May Bring Even More Snow to NYC Area This Week: What to Know, 4 Ferraris Stolen on Long Island in Service Center Heist. . A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. McCormac and Lupiano are waiting to hear back from the EPA. Al Lupiano is a Colonia High School graduate and environmental scientist who was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. First published on April 25, 2022 / 10:26 AM. More: 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases. In less than six weeks, Lupiano says, he has gathered the names of 94 people connected with the school who have developed brain tumors. 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. Former Colonia High School student Al Lupiano first decided to investigate when both his wife and his sister were diagnosed with brain tumors, two decades after he himself had suffered from. / CBS New York. Over 100 former students and staff from a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received . Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. After his sister's death in February, Lupiano became convinced of a link between the Colonia. The mayorsays only the experts are qualifiedto make an actionable connection between the cases and CHS. "I have some lingering issues. Updated on: May 4, 2022 / 11:30 PM Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? Immediate action from our State and Federal agencies is warranted," Lupiano said. After the testing ends, Lupiano said he and his supporters will be looking for a commitment by federal authorities for a conclusive investigation into whether something in the schools environment caused the brain tumors. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. But some parents didnt seem convinced, according to NJ.com. The township and school district have had discussions and meetings with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the state Department of Health, the state Department of Environmental Protection and Rep. Frank Pallones office. Hours after Deciliis got her diagnosis, Lupiano's wife Michelereceived similar news. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". Heres how it works. Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. 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. 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. Lupiano began researching to see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors. All rights reserved. . I still dont know what Im going to do with my kids, Komorek told NJ.com. A 2012 study in the journal Critical Reviews in Toxicology demonstrates how tricky it can be to confirm a cancer cluster. Because I dont think its right to say theres no threat to teachers and students if you didnt take a single soil or groundwater sample.. 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. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. 2023 NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Brain tumor victims urge federal and state authorities to probe possible link with school. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills at least 36, injures some 85, Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak, House select committee hearing paints China as a strategic antagonist, JetBlue flight forced to abort landing in close call at Logan Airport, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M, Bald eagle couple lays new egg after losing eaglets two years in a row. According to American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is normally extremely rare with an incidence of 3.21 per 100,000 people. McCormac speaks highly of Lupiano, who worked for nine years after college with EPA emergency responders. The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and on school grounds, according to NJ Spotlight News. A report outlining results is expected in about a month, McCormac said. Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. 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. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent. 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. And it is also great news for all former students.". 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases, Piscataway man convicted of exploiting daughters college peers after moving into dorm, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. The city of Woodbridge says it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing at a school that graduated roughly 15,000 people over the last 30 years. 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. But as the study continues, a number of people in the community are looking for some kind of reassurance. 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. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. He had developed 'rare' brain tumor some 20 years ago. The vast majority of those who have developed brain tumors graduated between 1975 and 2000, although outliers have come as recently as a 2014 graduate, according to the Star-Ledger. Meanwhile, the TikTok video sparked panic and a range of conspiracy-theory style comments, with people claiming mold, toxic waste, asbestos and nearby cellphone towers could all be causing the cluster. 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