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. Stanmyre: Right now, the number this week is up to 117 people who have been found to have a primary brain tumor of some sorts, according to data from Al Lupiano, who is the Colonia graduate who has kind of spearheaded all of this. On March 29, 2022, Lupiano wrote an article in a local newsletter, asking for help to identify people who developed the brain tumors, to collect data to plan further steps for answers to a probably cause. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Mystery as 100 people. Woodbridge will not get preliminary test results until after this Saturday, April 23, said Hagerty. Robert Miller The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to. It's not something in soil," Lupiano said to CBS News. Lupiano's sister, Angela, died on February 17 from Glioblastoma Multiforme or GBM. A high school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, is being investigated by environmental experts after reports of more than 100 former students and staff being diagnosed with brain tumors. I pray we find answers. T&M Associates subcontracted Cabrera Services Inc., a radiological environmental and remediation company, of East Hartford, Connecticut. How did this incident come to light in the first place? Some are incredibly aggressive forms of cancer that need very aggressive forms of treatment. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! ", "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. There's a lot of speculation running rampant about what could be causing this, but to date, there has been nothing found. These tumors are even more rare occurring in 10 out of 1,000,000 individuals.. The community is absolutely unnerved and absolutely terrified by what's going on here. 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 mother of two Colonia High students who believed not enough environmental testing was done in the aftermath of reports of a possible brain tumor cluster connected to the school told NJ Advance . They may need to excavate soil underneath the school. Al Lupiano revealed he had a brain tumor 20 years ago, before his wife had one and so did his sister - who died in February aged just 44. 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. Over 122 people connected to Colonia High School were found to have brain tumors. Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. She also requested the district embark on additional environmental testing. Donate today, Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations. Matthew Stanmyre | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, found no traces of radiological contaminants. Social media has played a big role in shining the light of truth on this situation. Job specializations: Healthcare. The reports have been brought to the attention of local officials who are now looking into them. The municipal council in Woodbridge, which oversees Colonia High School, approved an emergency contract earlier this month to start radiological testing of the grounds at the high school. He made a public plea on Facebook to anyone from the school who was diagnosed with primary brain tumors. There could be a real problem here, and our residents deserve to know if there are any dangers, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac said, according to the outlet. Advocates, for months, implored state and local officials to undertake more testing. Jason Wisinski is another person affected by the spate of tumor cases. It motivated Lupiano to create a Facebook group to determine if there were more Colonia High School alumni had developed brain tumors or other conditions. And there are many different forms of these cancers. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," said Lupiano. 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. SOURCES:PEOPLE Magazine, CBS News New York, New York Post, NJ.com &Dr. Joe Whittington. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano is among 94 former students and staff from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, who have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. You can find glioblastoma, which are terminal. Lupiano has found nearly 200 people with links to Colonia High School who have brain tumors or other rare cancers. If you are an alumni or staff member of Colonia High School and have developed a brain tumor, contact MLG today! 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. $4 Million Settlement Mass Torts $203 Million Class Action Financial Services $75 Million Class Action Mass Torts $200 Million Class Action Nsikan runs the health and science desk at WNYC/Gothamist. Correction 04/26/2022 9.51 a.m. One former student, Al Lupiano, 50, was diagnosed with brain tumors in the 1990s but subsequently recovered, according to NJ.com. "It's not something done to us due to bad habits, said Lupiano. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 1999. "It's alarming because there are just so many people with a tumor - malignant or benign, and it's serious. All of the cases have ties to Colonia High School, either as students or employees. WOODBRIDGE - Work is underway to create a portal for people with ties to Colonia High School who have developed brain tumors to share information with the New Jersey Department of Health. Advertisement. All the affected attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, dating back decades. Print |. Radiology, Allied Health, Radiologic Technologist, Neurophysiology. Lupiano has confirmed that he will not stop until he finds out what has happened here over the years at Colonia High School. 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. Some are the most awful worst kinds of brain cancer. 100 former students, staff of Colonia High School in New Jersey say they have rare brain tumors. 3 min read. The school is expected to remain open during this time. Lupiano's sister passed away in February, 2022 at the young age of 44. pic.twitter.com/mL9bVg9nE4, Katy Tur Reports (@KatyOnMSNBC) April 1, 2022, A majority of the graduates and staff members suffering from the condition were at the school between 1975 and 2000, but some students went through the school as recently as 2014, the NY Post continued. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. But I want to be careful to say that it's very early in the investigation. That is the question residents are hoping to answer in the Colonia section of Woodbridge. I just felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions regarding the school, Komorek told NJ Advance Media. The lists, which are sorted by county and include a separate list for charter schools, also include a second graduation rate, which excludes students whose special education IEPs allow them to qualify for diplomas despite not meeting typical coursework and attendance requirements. WOODBRIDGE, NJ Air quality testing is being done at Colonia High School this week, while the Woodbridge school district is closed for spring break. How many people do we mean here? She loves a good music pun and wakes up very very early. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano is among 94 former students and staff from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, who have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. Al Lupiano, a graduate of the high school, believes there's a link between Colonia High School and brain tumors diagnosed in 108 people over a period of three decades, ending in the early 2000s. 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. Newsweek has reached out to Colonia High School and McCormac. "We're just going to wait to find out. Advocates for an official investigation into fears of a "cancer cluster" at the Middlesex County high school say there are parallels to the notorious water system contamination in the Ocean County town that was blamed for more than 130 cases of childhood cancer in the 1990s. Some of these are non-cancerous, yet very debilitating forms of brain tumor. 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. When a former student at Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, realized that he, his wife and his sister all had brain tumors, he wondered if something about their high. 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 environmental testing is expected to last a month. Then making matters even worse, the same day that Michelle Lupiano (Al's wife) was diagnosed with her brain tumor, Al's sister Angela DeCillis was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. They learned of their tumors eight days apart. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. Angela has four daughters who have or will go to Colonia High School. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor, said Lupiano. Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. 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. 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. Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000, said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the news. Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac told WABC that the situation was "alarming because there are just so many people with a tumormalignant or benign, and it's serious.". The 50-year-old claims the diseases could be traced. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. 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. 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. So that has already begun. 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. ", "Just the sheer numbers of cases he's found is staggering," McCormac continued. Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily. When it didnt happen, Komorek who earned a joint degree in environmental science from Rutgers and New Jersey Institute of Technology and specializes in air, ground water and soil contamination took matters into her own hands. ", ALSO READ | Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. The governor wont be embracing the bill despised by landlords and supported by tenant advocates. The investigation started earlier this year after a stunning number of cancer cases in people who had a connection to the school. They are leaving radon canisters at the school for 14 days, which will test for elevated levels of radon. 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