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. He says if there is something going on, he worries about all of the people that would be impacted. The discovery of the possible link between the school and the brain tumors is so new that it hasn't yet been verified by any agency, and the testing being done there is just part of the effort to figure out the true extent of the problem. The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. He's identifiedat least 65 people, including graduates and former staff who walked the halls of CHS from 1975 to 1995. His wife, Michelle, who also attended Colonia high, got a benign diagnosis as well, though the two came 20 years apart. Twentyyears earlier, he was also diagnosed with an aggressive 36-millimeter acoustic neuroma. More than 100 people from the same high school have been diagnosed with brain cancer and it is feared soil contaminated with uranium used in the first atomic bomb made them ill. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. But doubts that the tumor cases represent a cancer cluster are unwarranted, said Lupiano, who predicted strong protests in the Woodbridge community if state and federal authorities dont start a formal investigation soon. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," he told CBS News York. McCormac said residents are expressing concerns, and the township is working to keep everyone updated. Lupiano said. In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. Phillips had surgery to remove the tumor on March 3 and entered physical, occupational and speech therapy soon after. And we don't have the same major risk factors for brain cancer as we do for common cancer types, Platz said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "Dozens of people have asked me to help them find a way to have a brain scan since they have been having signs and symptoms something may be wrong, but due to lack of insurance or not being able to afford the deductible, have not been able to have an MRI scan," Lupiano wrote in a Facebook post. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The disturbing development became headline news this week after CBS News took it national. 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. Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. In addition, T&M and Cabrera Services Inc, a radiological and environmental remediation company, will acquire real time radiation measurements from the interior and exterior of the building as part of an intensive survey of all 28 acres of the Colonia High School property. "The only thing that could have happened, potentially, was fill that was brought in during construction. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. We have no records 55 years ago.". 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. No one knows why. For now, radiation levels in and around the school are being monitored in a two-week test that began on April 9 by a private contractor hired by the municipality. Its way too early to call it a cancer cluster, said Dr. Joseph Landolfi, chief medical officer at JFK Medical Center in Edison, and its director of neuro-oncology. Parents like Dawn Genoni are willing to wait for that critical update. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. READ MORE: Former Woodbridge, N.J. resident says 65 people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School have had rare brain tumors. Among the others diagnosed with brain cancer was Lupianos younger sister, who passed away from the disease in February at the age of 44. She died on Feb. 17, 2022, at 44 years old. 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Exterior shots of Colonia High School in Colonia, NJ on Thursday, April 7, 2022. 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. In a mysterious story, a man from New Jersey named Al Lupiano found out that 100 people with uncommon cancers were linked to Woodbridge Township School District, Colonia High School. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. NBCLX storyteller Peter Hull walks you through the research. In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor for someone his age called Acoustic Neuroma (AN). Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. 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. At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not, he said. We've received your submission. Lupiano's 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. 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. The analysis took several weeks. But the growing number of victims both alive and dead on the list dont constitute the evidence that public health experts need to determine that Colonia is a cancer cluster, said Dr. In April, Woodbridge approved environmental testing at the school, but those results won't be made available until the end of June. However, Lupiano is still worried about his teenage nieces attending the school. "I don't know what the cause is," Lupiano said. 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 . Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . There's no proof yet that anything at CHS is the cause. 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. An MRI revealed Michele had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma, another raretype of brain tumor that develops on the nerves leading to the inner ear. Find your municipality in this alphabetical list to see how its average property tax bill for 2021 compares to others. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . But brain . "If there's a unique exposure, we would expect a unique cancer type," Platz said. This is only one of many, many tests that can be performed. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. Shehad been dealing with hearing loss for several years. (Al Lupiano). 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. 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How will officials determine if a true cancer cluster exists? We do not believe that there is cause for any further testing, he said. Advertisement. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. And it is also great news for all former students.". 100 stories of shock and disbelief with the diagnosis. 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. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. 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. "It seems like in a little over a 20-year period to have 65 people on a list is somewhat alarming, it's quite alarming," said the mayor, who lives blocks away from Colonia High School, but added the link only appears to pertain to people who attended or worked at the high school. Mitesh Kapadia moved right next to Colonia High just a few years ago. She holds a bachelor's degree in biotechnology from theUniversity of Kentucky and master's degrees in food technology from Aarhus University and journalism from New York University. Since . He went on to recover from the disease. Lupiano launched the bid after his sister passed away from the disease and his wife too was diagnosed with the exact same form of aggressive tumour glioblastoma. According to the Mayo Clinic, an Acoustic Neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that is found on the primary nerve that . In the United States, the rate of new cases of brain cancer or other nervous system cancer is 6.3 cases per 100,000 people per year, according to the National Institutes of Health. 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.. His wife and sister both got it. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. 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. He said the site was vacant land until the school was built in 1967,so he believes there is little chance anything was in the ground before then, but if there is anything on site, it could have come from fill during the construction phase. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. "I'm not particularly concerned because it hasn't happened in quite some time. "If I was a parent with a child in the school, I'd be literally sick to my stomach thinking, is my child at risk right this second?" 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. "I dont know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation, et cetera.". McCormac, who lives three blocks from Colonia High School,is not yet convinced of a link. One former student at Colonia High School who developed a 'rare' brain tumor over 20 years ago and survived having cancer is looking to uncover the cause. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. My wife had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma," Lupiano said. While benign, treatment can leave victims with hearing loss, trouble balancing, and several other serious symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. "While we have not yet determined if any contaminant is present, the only link up to this point is that everyone spent a significant amount of time at the school," Lupiano wrote in his Facebook post. / CBS New York. According to Fox News, there have been instances of both malignant and benign brain tumors being discovered in former Colonia High School attendees. The states Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette backed up the mayors declaration the school was safe. The department declined to comment for this story. Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. 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. 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.". "I have some lingering issues. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. "They'll have the means to do air sampling, water sampling and soil sampling," Lupiano told New Jersey 101.5. Colonia Mayor John McCormac announced Thursday afternoon the results of the findings of the Environmental Assessment Study that was conducted to investigate if Colonia High School buildings and grounds. "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps," the statement reads. "But I understand why anyone would be concerned. Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. during the press conference posted on the townships Youtube page. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Here's the latest for Wednesday April 6th: More sanctions against Russia expected; Zelenskyy warns that Russian troops are regrouping; Second Sacramento suspect under arrest; Severe storms from Texas to South Carolina. The environmental engineering firm T+M Associates was. It "was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende" that were "imported for use in the nations early atomic energy program, were assayed at the Middlesex Sampling Plant and then shipped to other sites for processing," according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York Division. Whittington a board-certified MD in California claimed several of the brain tumours developed by ex-Colonia High staff and students are glioblastoma multiforme an aggressive cancer which spreads to brain tissue. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. NY 10036. His sister had recently died of cancer. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano is. LaTourette said during the press conference every possible link to cancer was tested. 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. This is definitely not normal," the mayor further said in the statement. 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