The school is expected to remain open during this time. Exterior shots of Colonia High School in Colonia, NJ on Thursday, April 7, 2022. Pictured, a stock image of a brain scan. We contacted the author of the post, former student and former resident Al Lupiano, and offered to help, McCormac said. He said he is specifically looking for anyone who graduated from or attend Colonia High School from approximately 1975 to 1995. Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. All the affected attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, dating back decades. Woodbridge Township has contracted environmental engineering firm T&M Associates to carry out radiation tests at Colonia High School to investigate a possible link between the school and the reported brain tumors, according to New York news outlet WABC. 100 former NJ high school students . 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. It's not something in soil," Lupiano said to CBS News. Janice's sister Chery Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. Middlesex County's Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, has made national headlines in recent weeks after over 100 former students and faculty were found to have been diagnosed with. Its not contaminated water. Theyre testing the air for radon. Komorek presented her findings Monday to Woodbridge superintendent Joseph Massimino, Colonia principal Kenneth Pace and Woodbridge Education Association president Brian Geoffroy. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . All of the cases have ties to Colonia High School, either as students or employees. Some are the most awful worst kinds of brain cancer. The ground and air testing will begin on Saturday. Immediate action from our State and Federal agencies is warranted, Lupiano said. "I am beyond pleased to announce that after an extensive field investigation that included assessing the classrooms, school building materials, and the entire 28 acres of the Colonia High School campus, no radiological hazards were identified that warrant further investigation," he wrote in a letter to families. Komorek said the results of her testing indicate state environmental officials should conduct further tests of the air, soil and building compounds at Colonia. Environmental engineers have been testing for radiation at Colonia High School in New Jersey after reports that over 100 former students and staff members were diagnosed with brain tumors. There's a vast array of treatments, but again, we're dealing with so many different types of primary brain tumors here that they're all treated very differently. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. And today we now stand at 117 individuals with primary brain tumors, and another 70 with very rare cancers.". Radiology, Allied Health, Radiologic Technologist, Neurophysiology. Job in West Orange - Essex County - NJ New Jersey - USA , 07052. "We're just going to wait to find out. Courtesy Al Lupiano. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006, (RELATED: Video Shows Man Repeatedly Running Over Woman With SUV After Minor Incident). Robert Miller The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to primary malignant brain tumors at the age of 38, became one of many convinced that a cluster a. WOODBRIDGE, NJ Air quality testing is being done at Colonia High School this week, while the Woodbridge school district is closed for spring break. I had stage 4 cancer. Others are benign and very slow-growing that are going to use a different kind of treatment altogether. This is when a low-level radioactive rock was found and removed from the school grounds. Three weeks later, Komorek collected a caulk sample from a northern exterior wall of the school and sent it to another state-certified lab in Fairfield. Dr. Marc Siegel discusses brain tumors that emerged among former Colonia High School students on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.' Local and federal environmental agencies say they are assisting. McCormac, along with schools Superintendent Joseph Massimino; Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; and Judith Persichilli, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, announced the results of the radiation testing during a press conference at CHS on May 26. Rohit Ranjan. "My wife fought like crazy. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000, said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the news. Lupiano became focused as to why all three of them had contracted these rare brain tumors. Lupiano told CBS News New York that"Fast forward to August of last year My sister received the news she had a primary brain tumor, herself. Find NJ.com on Faceboo. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Radiologic Technologist Per Diem. No one knows exactly what it is. Before National Geographic, he worked for more than four years at PBS NewsHour, where he co-created anaward-winning video series named ScienceScope. They all attended or worked at Colonia High School most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000. Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmentalscientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is relentlessly looking for answers. Its not something in soil. Just simple math in my head having a husband and wife with this tumor, which arent related and then to have my sister with a blastoma, I knew something was wrong, Lupiano says. "I had told my sister from the very beginning that there was too much of a coincidence that me, my wife and her all have the same tumor," he said. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. But I want to be careful to say that it's very early in the investigation. Thanks to social media, Lupiano found a total of 104 former students and faculty with brain tumors - about half are cancerous. Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. What treatments are available for the afflicted? 2023 New York Public Radio. Please consider subscribing to NJ.com. Since . On the National Cancer Institutes list of 27 common afflictions, tumors in the brain and nervous system rank 19th in terms of case rate but 5th-lowest in terms of the chances of survival. Komorek was so alarmed by the findings that she decided to pull her daughters out of Colonia this week and enroll them in another Woodbridge high school, per the districts transfer policy. As the school remains open during the investigation, some students are concerned. All rights reserved. Both sisters graduated from Colonia High School, just like Al Lupiano in 1989, his wife Michelle in 1991, and his sister, Angela Decillis in 1995. That is the conclusion federal, state, county and township officials concluded after weeks of radiological testing inside and outside of school grounds in April and May. We will continue to keep you informed as we develop a plan of action based on the advice of our experts.. 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. "In conclusion, the results of the radiological investigation at the high school and grounds are within the normal variation of background radiation levels in New Jersey and are therefore not indicative of concern over radiological exposure to individuals at the site," state DEP Commisioner Shawn LaTourette wrote in a letter to the township. National Cancer Institutes list of 27 common afflictions. "That started setting off bells and whistles in my head.". Kamal added that there needs to be a full investigation to understand if these cancers are linked, and if there's a specific cause. Thats what makes the numbers staggering, says Lupiano. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick lives just a few blocks from the high school. 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. Theres no telling if they're going to find answers here. The probe was the result of concerns about a possible brain tumor cluster linked to graduates and staff from Colonia High, a school of about 1,300 students in Middlesex County. Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com. The city of Woodbridge, NJ is conducting an investigation after more than 100 former students and staff at the local Colonia High School were found to have developed brain . Nsikan was previously at National Geographic where he worked as a science editor, overseeing its COVID-19 coverage in addition to other topics in science, health and technology. His wife graduated in 1991. All Rights Reserved. I made a promise to my sister while she was dying that if something did this to us, I will find out what did it, Lupiano says. Earlier this year, Colonia graduate Al Lupiano, also an environmental scientist, discovered more than 100 teachers and alums of the school who reported having brain tumors, drawing international attention to the community and sparking state and local investigations. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. Lupiano has found nearly 200 people with links to Colonia High School who have brain tumors or other rare cancers. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! $4 Million Settlement Mass Torts $203 Million Class Action Financial Services $75 Million Class Action Mass Torts $200 Million Class Action He told WABC that he lost his wife Janice to an inoperable brain tumor 10 years ago and that her sister Cheryl died from brain cancer in 2015. 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. Lupiano, his wife and his sister all Colonia High grads were all diagnosed with rare brain tumors. "100as of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor," Lupiano wrote on Facebook last Monday, April 11. Jupiter and Venus appear to 'kiss' in the sky, Belvidere Jeep assembly plant shut down indefinitely, Chicago Weather: Cloudy and much cooler Thursday. This is the preliminary step that they're taking to see if they can find anything. The same day my sister was diagnosed (August 2021), I received the devastating news my wife Michele (nee Zawada) also has a very large (3.0 cm), very rare brain tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma (aka Vestibular Schwannoma) on her left side. 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. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. He was diagnosed 20 years ago. Al Lupiano has found 107 people with primary brain tumors who all attended or worked at Colonia High School. A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. Unfortunately, it turned out to be stage 4 glioblastoma. Lupiano's sister passed away in February, 2022 at the young age of 44. Colonia High School was reportedly the common denominator among those suffering from the tumors Credit: CBS NEW YORK Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. Lupiano says that most of the people on his list were at the high school prior to 1997. The township announced results of an investigation. 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. Jason Wisinski is another person affected by the spate of tumor cases. He added that the Environmental Protection Agency has gotten involved in the investigation. Phil Murphy was asked by reporters for his thoughts on the possible brain cancer cluster at Colonia High. An alumnus of Colonia High School in Woodbridege, N.J. is investigating his former high school, claiming he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there to have had a rare brain. Job specializations: Healthcare. McCormac previously said he also expects the ground and soil around Colonia High School will be tested, along with the air inside the high school building. 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 also attended the school. Officials are looking for potential radiation at the school. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor, said Lupiano. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. Here are the details: The lists below show 4-year graduation rates for New Jersey public schools for the 2020-21 school year. 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. 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 . 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