They will remain in place for 14 days before being sent to a lab for analysis. Until then, he knew of 15 former Colonia attendees who had been diagnosed with brain tumors. Dating back decades, newly detailed reports of more than 100 cases of brain tumors among former students and staff at Colonia High School in Woodbridge have raised obvious concerns. He had developed 'rare' brain tumor some 20 years ago. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not, he said. His sister had recently died of cancer. "I'm not particularly concerned because it hasn't happened in quite some time. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a "cancer cluster" just yet. "The rates are actually consistent in New Jersey with the United States," McGreevy said. After his sisters death in February, Lupiano became convinced of a link between the Colonia campus and the brain cancers that he, his wife and his sister had developed. McCormac and Lupiano are waiting to hear back from the EPA. (Al Lupiano). Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. His wife, Michelle, who also attended Colonia high, got a benign diagnosis as well, though the two came 20 years apart. "I'm getting reports of whole blocks in and around the neighborhood, that they call themselves 'Cancer Alley,'" Lupiano said. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. And that the children of this school, the faculty of this school and the parents and caregivers of these children and the people in and around this community they can have confidence, they can have confidence that this is a safe place.. WOODBRIDGE A New Jersey man is on amission to find a link between rare braintumors inmore than 60 graduates and former staff at Colonia High School, including his wife and late sister. He just needs a place. Now, an investigation is underway to determine if the school Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey is linked with a cancer cluster. "But I understand why anyone would be concerned. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. "It's too important. "The only thing that could have happened, potentially, was fill that was brought in during construction. The cancer was diagnosed years after these students graduated or worked at Colonia High School in Woodbridge. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . The work will be done in cooperation with Woodbridge School District. 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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.". 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. Hours after Deciliis got her diagnosis, Lupiano's wife Michelereceived similar news. 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. Only 72 of the suspected cancer clusters were confirmed to have an increased incidence of cancer within the cluster. 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. Legal Statement. The investigation will consider very granular data on graduates, like their occupations, family history and other activities that could affect their exposures. A consultant will be testing the grounds at Colonia High School, New Jersey, amid concerns that the school is linked to a high rate of rare brain cancers. Phillips had surgery to remove the tumor on March 3 and entered physical, occupational and speech therapy soon after. In early March, Al Lupiano, 50, of Jamesburg, a 1989 Colonia High School graduate, posted on Facebook that his 44-year-old sister, Angela DeCillis, a 1995 Colonia High School graduate,died inFebruary from a rare,highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor on the left side of her brain, that had been diagnosed in August 2021. She too died last month. Ultimately, if it isnt a radiation source that is causing these illnesses, Lupiano says other tests can be done to pinpoint a cause. Its not something done to us due to bad habits.. "With that in mind, and after many weeks of work, I was able to negotiate an agreement with BTF to provide this service completely FREE of charge.". Starting this weekend, various radiological assessments will be conducted across the schools 28-acre campus, including the testing of indoor air samples for radon. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. And it is also great news for all former students.". That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Al Lupiano, his wife Michele, and his sister Angela DeCillis all graduated from CHS between 1989 and 1995. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100. DeCillis's four teenage daughters attend Colonia schools in Woodbridge. By that time, we hope the federal agencies are going to take over. Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. The announcement comes on the heels of the development that a New Jersey man who graduated from the high school that he believes is linked to a mysterious cluster of brain tumors dating back decades -- and to his own diagnosis -- says he's gotten a New York City-based foundation signed on to offer free brain scans to people in the community who may not otherwise have access. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June and says he's had trouble working with local officials to find one. Support our nonprofit newsroom. Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". But he made a promise to his late sister that he would find out. Reports claim that more than 60 former students and staff of Colonia High School have been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor called . 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. 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. Al Lupiano is among the 94 former staff and students from Colonia High School in the Woodbridge Township School District who have been stricken by the devastating diagnoses in recent years. I've tried to give back over the last 20 years.". 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. She died on Feb. 17, 2022, at 44 years old. Schools Brain Tumor Link To Colonia High School 'Credible,' Town's Mayor Says A scientist's theory that a contaminant at the Woodbridge school is linked to 65 rare brain tumors is being taken . According to MyCentralJersey.com, the issue stems from legal concerns over the potential risk of offering a medical procedure with which municipal officials have no experience. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Head trauma could put people at higher risk of brain cancer, Actress beaten by stranger, diagnosed with brain tumor and run over by car, My wife thought she had baby brain it was deadly cancer, My face is melting off due to a rare disease, Chill Hip hop 37(932007) 212soundworks, American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. 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.. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. McCormac has also reached out toU.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J 6th District. Lupiano's sister, however, another Colonia alumnus, recently died from brain cancer -- and MyCentralJersey.com reports brother Al promised her before she died that he'd find out why the tumors were occurring in the specific community. Lupianowould liketheir investigators to come in over spring break so that students are not disturbed. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. I still dont know what Im going to do with my kids, Komorek told NJ.com. 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. But to date we dont have any environmental factors that are known to cause brain tumors.. All rights reserved. "I will not rest until I have answers," the 50-year-old told NJ.com. McCormack said the town wants local and federal involvement in the investigation. "As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation," he wrote. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. 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. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. The chances of one person gettingacoustic neuroma are roughly 1 in 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. He believes something at the high school in one of the more suburban and affluent sections of the township is responsible for dozens of brain cancer cases. His wife. / CBS New York. 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