Advertisement. 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. The ground and air testing will begin on Saturday. "What I find alarming is there's truly only one environmental link to primary brain tumors and that's ionizing radiation, said Lupiano. 100 former NJ high school students . He added that the Environmental Protection Agency has gotten involved in the investigation. Massimino said in the memo the district has contacted our environmental consultants, the Health Department of the Township of Woodbridge, and Township Officials to review the information. He also said the township shared the information with the State Department of Environmental Protection and the State Department of Health.. Were all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. Lupiano has been able to confirm that 94 former students and staff of Colonia High School had developed brain tumors, as per coverage in New York Post. Nearly 100 people attending a single high school in New Jersey have developed rare forms of brain cancer. All Rights Reserved. Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000, said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the news. "Colonia is not a mega high school. I will uncover the truth," Lupiano said to NJ.com. 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. Lupiano's sister passed away in February, 2022 at the young age of 44. Lupiano, an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, believed it was a pattern. Her sister, Cheryl Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. She also requested the district embark on additional environmental testing. He says that the evidence that Lupiano has collected is a cause for concern, which is why the city will pay for emergency testing at the school this weekend. A single New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking 100 people diagnosed with rare cancers or tumors to a Woodbridge high school. 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. 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. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address The action (should) be undertaken immediately, due to high exceedances of the State and Federal regulatory standards for PCBs and pesticides, as well as the fact that PCBs and chlordane inhalation may be occurring by students and staff, Komorek stated in a letter to district officials. By Sean Adams, WCBS Newsradio 880. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. Colonia High School is now the subject of radiation detecting research. The school was built in 1967 and currently serves roughly 1,300 students, the NY Post noted. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac immediately and responsibly got engaged. Lupiano has spearheaded a public push for answers after he started a Facebook group focused on former Colonia students and the rare brain cancer, the outlet noted. Facebook Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. Angela has four daughters who have or will go to Colonia High School. Theyve placed canisters inside the school. They all attended or worked at Colonia High School most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000. "My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day, I talk to her all the time," Wisinski said. Lupiano has confirmed that he will not stop until he finds out what has happened here over the years at Colonia High School. (Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media). Colonia High School is now the. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. His wife. (RELATED: Video Shows Man Repeatedly Running Over Woman With SUV After Minor Incident). "It is also important to note that the data compiled and posted to social media by Mr. Lupiano has yet to be evaluated and verified by any federal, state, county or municipal agency with competent jurisdiction to fully vet and verify his research. It's not something in soil," Lupiano said to CBS News. Officials are looking for potential radiation at the school. Newsweek has reached out to Colonia High School and McCormac. "It's not something done to us due to bad habits, said Lupiano. He shared a 2020 Emmy for the PBS NewsHour series Stopping a Killer Pandemic and in 2019 received a George FosterPeabodyAwardfor the PBS NewsHour series The Plastic Problem. Nsikan has also worked for NPR, Science News Magazine, Science Magazine, KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and as a writer at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, Lawrence Township League of Women Voters announces 2022 leadership award winners, No criminal charges for Hillsborough police officer in 2021 fatal shooting, Vigil marks one-year anniversary of Ukrainian War. Obviously, everyone's praying and hoping for the best," said Colonia High School junior Julia Pagnozzi. His sister succumbed to brain cancer. Earlier this year, Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist and Colonia High School graduate, discovered more than 115 people who spent time at the school had a rare brain tumor. However, I still think we need to expedite the next phase of testing including water, soil, and air, to determine if more than one contaminant is present, he said. At the time, medium lifespan for her type of tumor was 18 months. The pool is getting a new liner, gutter and deck, along with new filtration systems. BSN or must obtain within 3 years. So that has already begun. It has been lightly edited for clarity. "My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day - I talk to her all the time," Wisinski said. In May, the district and state announced an environmental assessment of all 28 acres in and around Colonia found no traces of radiological contaminants and the school was deemed safe for students and staff. Friday, April 22, 2022. They are leaving radon canisters at the school for 14 days, which will test for elevated levels of radon. Again too early to tell yet, I think, to draw any definitive conclusions.". ", "Just the sheer numbers of cases he's found is staggering," McCormac continued. Rohit Ranjan. LOS ANGELES (AP) More than a week after Tom Sizemore suffered a brain aneurysm, a representative says the actor's family is "now deciding end of life matters." "Today, doctors informed . They learned of their tumors just eight days apart, while Janice was pregnant with her and Jason's only child. Theyre testing the air for radon. He was diagnosed 20 years ago. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . The couple's neurologist was baffled. Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. Colonia is not a mega high school. Jason Wisinski is another person affected by the spate of tumor cases. Lupiano has found nearly 200 people with links to Colonia High School who have brain tumors or other rare cancers. Before National Geographic, he worked for more than four years at PBS NewsHour, where he co-created anaward-winning video series named ScienceScope. "In addition, DEP's further review does not indicate sources of environmental exposures of concern to public health. Lupiano is still looking for any and all Colonia High School alumni to come forward. 3 min read. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick lives just a few blocks from the high school. But we'd love to be able to rule out the school.". Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? Lupianoknew that something was very wrong here. Its not contaminated water. The statewide graduation rate fell slightly, from 91% in 2019-20 to 90.6%. 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 . 2023 New York Public Radio. A few weeks ago, we very suddenly and tragically lost my 44-year-old sister Angela (CHS-95) to a very rare and highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor (Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)) discovered on her left side, he wrote in the newsletter. The institute predicts about 290,000 people will develop breast cancer in 2022 compared to 25,000 for brain cancer. Jason Wisinksi lost his wife Janice 10 years ago to an inoperable brain tumor called Anaplastic Astrocytoma. 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. This is terrific news for current students of Colonia High School (CHS) and their parents who worried about their safety along with current staff members, Mayor John E. McCormac said. 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. So, would . "It's certainly concerning because the rate of primary brain tumors is certainly higher than what we would expect in the general population," said Dr. Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer at the American Cancer Society. This is definitely not normal.. Is Colonia High School the cause of primary brain tumors in former students and staff from 1975 to 1995? But even more rare was the fact that his wife and sister later found out that they had similar medical conditions. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. McCormac says last Saturday, environmentalists placed random canisters inside the school to collect air samples. Unfortunately, it turned out to be stage 4 glioblastoma. "That started setting off bells and whistles in my head.". In April, the township entered an emergency agreement with T&M Associates, of Middletown, for professional environmental engineering services for a radiological assessment of Colonia High in an amount not to exceed $221,350. On Feb. 17, Angela died from Glioblastoma Multiforme or GBM. Thanks to social media, Lupiano found a total of 104 former students and faculty with brain tumors - about half are cancerous. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 1999. He said in 40 years of neurology, he had never heard of a married couple that both had the same type of primary brain tumor. If you were affected or have a tumor or rare cancer, I need your assistance," his Facebook post read. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor, Lupiano said. Today, he still suffers lingering effects. Massimino sent the same statement to NJ Advance Media Monday. The onset of brain tumors in more than one hundred people who attended or worked at Colonia High School in New Jersey has continued to baffle experts. "Woodbridge Township contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the CDC, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (which is part of CDC), and the state Department of Health last week, and we've begun initial discussions with them.". Listing for: Select Medical Corporation. "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. SOURCES:PEOPLE Magazine, CBS News New York, New York Post, NJ.com &Dr. Joe Whittington. The school is expected to remain open during this time. All three were diagnosed with a brain tumor. Both had graduated from Colonia High School, the news outlet reported. Last year, his sister, also an alumna of Colonia High, was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, a stage 4 glioblastoma, he told CBS New York. A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. This is the preliminary step that they're taking to see if they can find anything. I just felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions regarding the school, Komorek told NJ Advance Media. Would they just end it at that?. Ninety-four former staff members and students from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, have developed an "extremely" rare form of malignant brain tumor, leading local officials to approve an emergency probe of the school Tuesday. 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