This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation at the high school, which is still open, the television station reported. More like this: Online High School 12 /r . The answer? After 2nd grade, my wife attended parochial school until high school, where she attended CHS. 27 /r/newjersey, 2023-02-22, 22:36:15 Permalink. "I wasn't happy and I knew that they didn't do enough sampling, didn't test soil, groundwater tests for PCBs," Komorek said. The AP participation rate at Colonia High School is 37%. Casey returns to the Senate after cancer surgery 11 hours ago . NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . 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. His . I have made this shareable from my personal page if you would like to sharethank you for your assistance! But, in order for me to take the next steps, I need the help of others. "It is not enough to address parents of operating school with suspected cancer cluster through written statements given to media outlets," the petition said. And thats not the case. They can find reasons to doubt. Facebook "The Departments stand ready to assist Woodbridge in reviewing any environmental data it collects to determine appropriate next steps. I am asking for your help! Beyond the adoption of genomic testing, which might identify a telltale genetic signature among patients with the same kind of cancer, no technological fix yet promises to address these problems. The perception of a cluster in a community may be as important as, or more important than, an actual cluster, the C.D.C. Is cancer spreading at a New Jersey high school? I need your help Facebook. During my research, I uncovered a shocking number of our Woodbridge Township friends and family have also been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York Division. McCormac said the investigation found "no cause and effect relationship between those illnesses and the building or grounds at Colonia High School." Kate McGreevy, an epidemiologist from the New Jersey Department of . People struggle to recall their past daily lives which seat they sat in during high school chemistry or where their drinking water came from five years ago. Dose, too, is a major factor. That kind of follow-up could have the opposite effect, said Shawn LaTourette, New Jerseys commissioner of environmental protection, and send the wrong message that the suspicions deserved any more resources than what had already been invested. The investigation wasnt thorough enough, residents argue, and didnt involve water testing or analysis of the soil beyond radiological tests. Theres something special about cancer, said Richard Clapp, a cancer epidemiologist and a professor emeritus at Boston University. 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. 100 stories of shock and disbelief with the diagnosis. 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. With confirmed cases now at 61 we have an incidence of 61 out of approximately 10,000 individuals. I will not rest until I find the answer! 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. We have to accept the results.. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. 89. A scientist and mother is demanding answers after tests she conducted found cancer-causing toxins and materials were present at the school where more than 100 former students have since been diagnosed with brain tumors. Sadly, several have already died. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas has the latest as 100+ have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. An investigation has . While I am thrilled to have the information coming in again, its also very troubling to see the numbers continue to grow. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. One month later, Mayor McCormac echoed this sentiment to me: Its frustrating that people who hoped that there was no radiation on the site now are upset that theres not, he said. Since discovering three individuals in my family were diagnosed with very rare brain tumors, and all about the same size and on the same side of our head, I needed to find a link. They may seek answers where there are not any or where they are impossible to dredge out. said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. Find Us . Parents of students at Colonia High School wonder if the 1960s-era building is contaminated with mercury or formaldehyde. In the 1980[s], the contaminated residential properties were cleaned up, and the excavated soil was stored at the site in a specially constructed pile, known as the Vicinity Properties (VP) pile," the USACE New York Division's website states. All three of them have since come down with rare brain disorders. Parents are trying to get authorities to investigate these clusters and to discern what caused the disease patterns. This now makes three of us in one family with primary brain tumors all on the left side. Hng Vng High School. Follow Joe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Komorek said some studies suggest a relationship between exposure to PCBs and a greater risk of developing brain tumors. It is possible that soil from the plant had been trucked to Colonia High School during its construction in 1967, according to the NJ Spotlight. (Al Lupiano). It was Lupiano, who is an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, who started connecting the dots. "Every inch of Colonia High School from buildings to fields is being tested for radiation to determine if there is a link between the school and the number of cancer cases . RWJBarnabas Health and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. A majority of former students of Colonia High School developed glioblastoma, a rare brain tumour. We recognized that communication guidance was an area that warranted attention, said Patrick Breysse, director of the C.D.C.s National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in an email statement. Twenty-two years later, in 2021, doctors discovered that his wife, Michele, had a tumor, a benign acoustic neuroma on the left side of her brain. The analysis can back with PCBs above federal and state standards as well as pesticides that were banned in 1988," she said. Market data provided by Factset. Why? "Once again we will work with the school district through our health department and our environmental consultants and make contact with the state Departments of Environmental Protection and Health to help evaluate what we were presented with and decide on a future course of action," said Mayor John E. McCormac. However, overlooked during decontamination were traces of radioactive materials that had been carried offsite over the years by wind and rain to yards of neighboring homes. Its very hard to pinpoint what it is that initiated that process.. Ultimately, if it isnt a radiation source that is causing these illnesses, Lupiano says other tests can be done to pinpoint a cause. COLONIA, N.J. - Radiation tests are being done at Colonia High School in New Jersey after more than 100 people were diagnosed with rare brain tumors. "I don't think this is the end of the story. Please, look at this. After Angela died in February, at the age of 44, Mr. Lupiano says, he started his outreach in earnest, fueled by a promise to his sister to seek an explanation. I'm exhausted. Dr. Marc Siegel discusses brain tumors that emerged among former Colonia High School students on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'. All of them graduated from Colonia High School, and they all have brain tumors, ABC7 reported. It was an entry point for uranium ores 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. On April 15, 2022, Lupiano wrote on Facebook. The designation is the first, prerequisite step on the path toward a full-throated response, from investigation to cleanup and remediation and, potentially, legal recourse. Since the previously stated incident rate of GBM and AN is 10-30 out of 1,000,000, the rate of CHS brain tumors is 30,000 out of 1,000,000. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By the time you see a tumor in a mammogram, it may be that that tumor has been growing for six years, said Rachel Morello-Frosch, a professor of public health at the University of California, Berkeley. We all grew up in Woodbridge Township, but I lived in Iselin miles away from where she grew up in Colonia. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. All rights reserved. So it's not unheard of. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fellow graduates from the Woodbridge Township school developed the same rare brain tumor and graduated between the years 1975 to 1995 . Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . In 1998 the Corps of Engineers recycled and disposed of the stockpiled steel. Youre looking for footprints in the sand long after the tide has come and gone, said Dr. Clapp. Would love your thoughts, please comment. ou can send me a private message using FB Messenger or call/text me at (732)718-4753. It is his belief my wife and I may be the first documented case of spouses having an AN, both roughly the same size and on the same side of the headaccording to him, the odds are maybe 1 in a BILLION. $9 Million Contract from National Cancer Institute Awarded for NJ State Cancer Registry. "The results we have is not something the Department of Health, or DEP, or anyone, can rely on. Because the school remains open, we demand greater urgency to find out if potentially harmful substances are harming our children and staff at Colonia High School.". Ive requested a few pieces of historical data, trying to determine the history of the site prior to the construction of the HS. Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. That means we have an incident rate of 15 cases out of 5,000 people. is continuing. Here are the best chocolates in New Jersey. Why is this alarming? Middlesex County's Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, has made national headlines in recent weeks after over 100 former students and facultywere found to have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. But where did the exposure come from? 3/16 UPDATE: Since I created this post a week ago, the most frequent question I am asked is, Is there something I can do and do you need my help?. I never in my worst nightmare envisioned ever hitting this milestone. PROMISING CANCER VACCINE IN THE WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS. More than 200 people have signed an online petition demanding a public meeting with state officials in New Jersey and federal authorities over concerns about a medical mystery at a high school following dozens of diagnoses of brain tumors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a true cancer cluster must be a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases of the same type of cancer or those proven to have the same cause, within a specific population over a set time. (In one scientific review of 428 cancer cluster investigations over 21 years, for example, just one in eight cases was a confirmed increase in cancer, and only one investigation revealed a definitive source.). Legal Statement. What happened in Woodbridge illustrates the need for these changes, especially those aimed at bolstering the relationship between a concerned community and the public health experts facing the difficult task of investigating a suspected cluster. After some digging, a man who attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, discovered more than 100 former students and staff members had been diagnosed with the same sort . Thats not body cancers and general tumorsthats 80 rare primary brain tumors! At the time, medium lifespan for her type of tumor was 18 months. Al Lupiano, a graduate of Colonia High School, tells Fox News Digital that since posting his theory about an apparent link between brain tumor diagnoses in 1990s and early 2000s graduates of . There's lots and lots of people calling me, saying, 'Look, I didn't go to the high school, but I live a mile away, and we call our block cancer alley. At the time I was seeking treatment, my oncologist/neurosurgeon was astounded that someone my age (I was 27) had a tumor so large. Dozens of former teachers and students have . "To me their health is the most important thing.". 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. Al Lupiano . If there are any potential environmental exposure pathways identified and a need for further environmental sampling, the state Health Department will work cooperatively with ATSDR to conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects. She stressed more testing needs to be done on the schools East Street property to see if there are other sources of possible contamination, such as fill material, illegal past discharges, or contamination from other sites. I dont believe so as we all came from different parts of the Township. The school was one of the first buildings constructed there and has since been expanded. EPA looking into cancer cluster tied to NJ high school. A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach . All rights reserved. Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. After Al Lupiano, his wife and his sister developed brain tumors, he reached out to former classmates at their New Jersey high school to see if they had similar problems. A nationwide constellation of state cancer databases was put in place in 1992, but these cancer registries often fail to account for changes in residency. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR IN US HISTORY DUE TO COVID-19, DRUG OVERDOSES. Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. "We and our children deserve more! For public health officials, resolving this tension is the macro version of bedside manner: How do you reassure a frightened patient that nothings wrong? Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. In 1999, when he was just 27, Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare, benign brain tumor for someone his age called Acoustic Neuroma (AN). If you are willing, please record a short video on your phone of yourself talking about your issue. Keep it to 30 seconds or less. A New Jersey town is planning to conduct environmental testing at Colonia High School after a resident discovered dozens of people connected to the school had developed rare brain tumors. Every inch of Colonia High School, part of the Woodbridge Township School District, from buildings to fields, is being tested for radiation to determine if there is a link between the school and the number of cancer cases diagnosed amongst former students and staff. "If we saw anything that said the school or the grounds were not safe, we would do something instantly. We need an investigation! After the CBS Channel 2 News airing, the summarized radio broadcast on CBS 880, and the NJ 101.5 coverage, my phone has not stopped ringing. Colonia High School cancer probe -- test results expected? WOODBRIDGE - Results are expected in a few weeks from recent soil and air testing at Colonia High School, following last month's finding of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and pesticides . The victims all went to Colonia High School in Woodbridge in New Jersey . Could that be the link? While I have spent countless hours gathering data, I simply havent had enough time to get others involved. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fellow graduates from the Woodbridge Township school developed the same rare brain tumor and graduated between the years 1975 to 1995. Lupiano believes theres a link between. So that's why I focused on cancerous or malignant and benign because they're triggered by the same thing, and we have really solid statistics to say all. We have to really take a look at it, said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac to ABC 7. Our meetings with the State and Feds. So she took matters into her own hands and found toxic chemicals linked to cancer as well as pesticides at the school. Instead, an amalgam of carcinogens, genetic predispositions, social factors, lifestyle choices, natural aging and the random chance of spontaneous mutation sets it off, bit by bit, year by year, even decade by decade. To summarize, primary brain tumors of this type have an incidence rate of between 10-30 out of 1,000,000 individuals. As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation. Colonia Park Mall in court over $200,000 in bills 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. People who have been exposed to ionizing radiation have an increased risk of developing primary brain tumors, whether they are malignant or benign, according to the Mayo Clinic. But many in the community do not accept them. Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ 07067 Phone: 732-499-6500 Fax: 732-574-2575. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. That, the "concerned Colonia High School parents, alumni, and township members" petitioning on behalf of their school community say, isn't acceptable. Earlier:Some in Colonia not satisfied after no radiological hazards found at school. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Officials also reviewed local data on naturally occurring radioactive deposits and followed up on reports of a radioactive rock discovered in a science classroom in 1997. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/opinion/cancer-cluster-colonia-woodbridge.html. To get authorities to investigate these clusters and to discern what caused the disease patterns brain! Of others ever hitting this milestone most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your.. Similar MRNA TECHNOLOGY that COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS using FB Messenger call/text... In the WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY that COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS scientist industrial! Anyone, can rely on, and his sister Angele Decillis my personal page if are! To discern what caused the disease patterns quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15.... Family have also been diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years standards as well as that... 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