Matthew Stanmyre | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, found no traces of radiological contaminants. 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. That is the question residents are hoping to answer in the Colonia section of Woodbridge. Nearly 100 people attending a single high school in New Jersey have developed rare forms of brain cancer. I just felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions regarding the school, Komorek told NJ Advance Media. Im optimistic that when all is said and done, we will have a definitive link of what caused this to happen to all of us and Im hopeful that we can take that knowledge and prevent it from ever happening again.. "My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day, I talk to her all the time," Wisinski said. Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000, said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the news. 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 Media she has found evidence of highly toxic chemicals at Colonia through her own independent testing. 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. She loves a good music pun and wakes up very very early. I know so many people who have ailments and cancer specifically who lived near there. There have been some outlier cases. Lupiano, an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, believed it was a pattern. And there are many different forms of these cancers. They all attended or worked at Colonia High School most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000. 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. It's not air. After discovering 94 former students and staff from Colonia High School which was built in 1967 had been diagnosed with rare brain tumors, Dr. Joseph Massimino, superintendent of . This is definitely not normal.. His sister Angela Decillis graduated in 1995. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Part Time, Per diem position. "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,'" he told Fox News. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. 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. T&M Associates subcontracted Cabrera Services Inc., a radiological environmental and remediation company, of East Hartford, Connecticut. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. Lupiano said he started searching for instances of Colonia High graduates having brain tumors and was stunned to discover 15 people in total, with two newly discovered cases pending further . 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Lupiano's sister, Angela, died on February 17 from Glioblastoma Multiforme or GBM. Lupiano, an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, picked up on a trend. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. A graduate as recent as 2014 was found to have a primary brain tumor. Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media. ET: The spelling of Michele DeCillis has been corrected. 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. Luciano has reported his findings to Colonia High School. Mar 30, 2022 The Wanted's Tom Parker Dies at 33 After Brain Tumor Battle Al Lupiano, a graduate of the high school, believes there's a link between Colonia High School and brain. 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. NJ cluster of brain cancer prompts investigation, We rely on your support to make local news available to all, Astoria pool will be closed this summer for renovations: Parks, Gov. If you were affected or have a tumor or rare cancer, I need your assistance," his Facebook post read. A soil sample taken from near the northern wall of the school similarly indicated PCBs concentration of 575 mg/kg, exceeding the New Jersey Soil Remediation Standard. 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. 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. He is keeping a list. 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. I don't trust anyone who says that nuclear plant was safe. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist and a 1989 graduate of the N.J. high school began investigating Colonia High School in Woodbridge when he realized many others with ties to the school suffered the rare brain tumors, just like he did, 20 years ago. His wife graduated in 1991. What steps are investigators taking to try to figure this out? Superintendent Joseph Massiminio the district worked with representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection, the state Department of Health, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Disease Control, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to discuss the matter, and that national firms T&M Associates and Cabrera Services were tasked with collecting data and conducting the necessary tests. DeCillis died in February from glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer. 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. "Given the ongoing environmental investigation and testing, it is premature to comment on any link and/or causation of cancer diagnosis that may or may not be related to Colonia High School," said Woodbridge town spokesman Hagerty. Courtesy Al Lupiano. I will not rest until I have answers. They learned of their tumors eight days apart. (RELATED: Video Shows Man Repeatedly Running Over Woman With SUV After Minor Incident). He was diagnosed 20 years ago. 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. 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. The mother, Edyta Komorek, who has worked as an environmental scientist since 2006, said she collected dust, window caulk and soil samples from Colonia that tested for excessive levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordane, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide all carcinogenic compounds that can lead to cancer and other diseases. While Lupianos wife Michele is still undergoing treatment, his sister Angela died in February, just months after her diagnosis. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. A cluster of over 100 rare brain tumors in the past 30 years sparks a health inspection at Colonia High School in New Jersey. Lupiano said the rarity of the brain tumors raised concerns of the neurologist they shared since they all grew up in relatively the same neighborhood. That's a huge number for such a small region. Radiology, Allied Health, Radiologic Technologist, Neurophysiology. The results indicated PCBs at concentration of 50,500 mg/kg, exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory level of 50 mg/kg, according to the report. His wife was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, which is a benign brain tumor and is the exact same brain tumor that Al Lupiano himself was diagnosed with 22 years ago. Are you a Colonia High School graduate that has been diagnosed with a brain tumor? utah778/Getty Work began on . The pool is getting a new liner, gutter and deck, along with new filtration systems. ", "Just the sheer numbers of cases he's found is staggering," McCormac continued. 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. Is it a cancer cluster or just a coincidence? But I want to be careful to say that it's very early in the investigation. Additionally, T&M Associates has begun conducting historic site research to obtain any and all necessary records related to the construction of Colonia High School when it was built in 1967, through to the present. The school is expected to remain open during this time. "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. It's not something in soil," Lupiano said to CBS News. "It's not something done to us due to bad habits, said Lupiano. Earlier this spring . There may need to be other steps taken. 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. "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. Radiologic Technologist Per Diem. A A. This is the preliminary step that they're taking to see if they can find anything. So that has already begun. Medical experts are urging caution but also advising that there is no need for residents to panic. He emphasized that there's no need for residents in the community to go get emergency cancer imaging scans immediately. Through his posts, Lupiano, CHS Class of 1989, wanted to find out if CHS is the cause of primary brain tumors that have affected more than 100 former students and staff. "It's alarming because there are just so many people with a tumor - malignant or benign, and it's serious. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. Earlier this year, Lupianos sister lost her battle with a very rare and highly aggressive malignant glioma brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) at age 44. These tumors are even more rare occurring in 10 out of 1,000,000 individuals.. The incident rate for GBM is approximately 30 out of 1,000,000 people. My best friend had a cancerous brain tumor. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor, Lupiano said. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. Listed on 2023-03-02. 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. This all came to fruition in August of last year, and it just startled Lupiano. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . All Rights Reserved. Lupianos 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. His wife and sister found out on the same day last August - two hours apart. "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. ", ALSO READ | Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! This all began last year when Al Lupiano made a startling discovery. This is when a low-level radioactive rock was found and removed from the school grounds. 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. In presenting her findings, Komorek urged the district to share her findings with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Angela has four daughters who have or will go to Colonia High School. 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. 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. Again too early to tell yet, I think, to draw any definitive conclusions.". There's a lot of speculation running rampant about what could be causing this, but to date, there has been nothing found. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Robert Miller The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to. "My wife fought like crazy. "When I started looking into it, I quickly amassed 15 of our classmates with these rare brain tumors," he told NewsNation. Officials are looking for potential radiation at the school. 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. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist,. Columns with an asterisk or 'N' indicate there was no data or it was suppressed to protect student privacy. Lupiano says that most of the people on his list were at the high school prior to 1997. His name is on it, along with his wife and late sister. 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