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. Courtesy Al Lupiano. 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 . Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . The incident rate for GBM is approximately 30 out of 1,000,000 people. 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. ", "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. 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. 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. Dozens of former teachers and. Qualifications: Current and valid New Jersey Registered Nurse license is required. Exterior shots of Colonia High School in Colonia, NJ on Thursday, April 7, 2022. He added that the Environmental Protection Agency has gotten involved in the investigation. Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. 2023 New York Public Radio. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, Onlookers urged police to charge into TX school: 'Go in there! ET: The spelling of Michele DeCillis has been corrected. The testing was prompted after township officials learned of various social media posts related to several instances of brain tumors and brain cancer among students and faculty of CHS from approximately 1975-99. Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. No one knows exactly what it is. Lupiano is still looking for any and all Colonia High School alumni to come forward. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. Part Time, Per diem position. She loves a good music pun and wakes up very very early. "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. 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.. Woodbridge Township is paying T&M Associates $221,350 to do the radon testing. 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 . . Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com. They are leaving radon canisters at the school for 14 days, which will test for elevated levels of radon. This is when a low-level radioactive rock was found and removed from the school grounds. "That's something that we take very seriously. Kamal added that there needs to be a full investigation to understand if these cancers are linked, and if there's a specific cause. Jason Wisinksi lost his wife Janice 10 years ago to an inoperable brain tumor called Anaplastic Astrocytoma. What would you do if you went to the doctor, you arent feeling well, asked Matthew DeCillis, whose wife, Angela, died from a brain tumor in February. Find NJ.com on Faceboo. In a Facebook post, Lupiano said the battle over whats affecting hundreds of CHS alumni, teachers and staff is not over with the help of renowned doctors and scientists., He called the data presented at the press conference flawed.. McCormac says last Saturday, environmentalists placed random canisters inside the school to collect air samples. This all came to fruition in August of last year, and it just startled Lupiano. As the school remains open during the investigation, some students are concerned. 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 of brain tumor diagnosed in his wife, his sister and himself. Both parents of children in school and current teachers and staff deserve answers. Topics you care about, straight to your inbox. Massimino sent the same statement to NJ Advance Media Monday. 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. An investigation has been launched after more than 100 people who attended a high. They said they took your temperature. At the time of the CBS interview in late March, Lupiano claimed to have confirmed 65 cases of rare brain tumors, all affecting people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School. Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began researching the matter and reaching out to people on Facebook who had attended the school and been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. 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. Colonia High School is now the. That's what makes the numbers staggering," says Lupiano. Since March . If you were affected or have a tumor or rare cancer, I need your assistance," his Facebook post read. "They are working with the Township to review the test findings and prepare a course of action if necessary.". A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. Job in West Orange - Essex County - NJ New Jersey - USA , 07052. And there are many different forms of these cancers. The Anti-Defamation League said the phrase at the center of the question was popularized as a trolling campaign by members of 4chan a notorious anonymous message board and was adopted by . She also requested the district embark on additional environmental testing. And today we now stand at 117 individuals with primary brain tumors, and another 70 with very rare cancers.". Lupiano was diagnosed with glioblastoma (brain cancer) when he was 27 years old, about 25 years ago. "My wife was awesome, and I think about her every day - I talk to her all the time," Wisinski said. They learned of their tumors eight days apart. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. Woodbridge will not get preliminary test results until after this Saturday, April 23, said Hagerty. Lupiano grew up in Woodbridge Township and he now works as an environmental scientist; he no longer lives in Woodbridge. 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. This is also great news for all former students who attended and staff to work at CHS since it opened back in 1968., McCormac said they sympathize with anyone who has experienced brain tumors and brain cancers, especially those who lost loved ones to the terrible disease, but there is no cause-and-effect relation between those illnesses and the buildings or grounds at CHS.. Lupiano has confirmed that he will not stop until he finds out what has happened here over the years at Colonia High School. Also, just on Monday Gov. While Lupianos wife Michele is still undergoing treatment, his sister Angela died in February, just months after her diagnosis. Some of these are non-cancerous, yet very debilitating forms of brain tumor. As a scientist, I want to find answers. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media. Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. T&M Associates subcontracted Cabrera Services Inc., a radiological environmental and remediation company, of East Hartford, Connecticut. What steps are investigators taking to try to figure this out? All rights reserved. The reports have been brought to the attention of local officials who are now looking into them. Komorek presented her findings Monday to Woodbridge superintendent Joseph Massimino, Colonia principal Kenneth Pace and Woodbridge Education Association president Brian Geoffroy. That is the question residents are hoping to answer in the Colonia section of Woodbridge. His sister succumbed to brain cancer. 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. There's a lot of speculation running rampant about what could be causing this, but to date, there has been nothing found. 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. Its not something in soil. "That started setting off bells and whistles in my head.". In 1999, when he was just 27, Al. Listed on 2023-03-02. NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking more than 100 people . Hochul deflects when asked about 'good cause' eviction bill, Judge: Former coach's discrimination lawsuit against New York Giants and NFL can proceed, Supreme Court justices pour water on NYs push to save mob-busting seaport watchdog, NJ Legislature OKs bill to make landlords, sellers warn residents about past floods. In his first public comments on the matter, Murphy told reporters he is taking this issue "very seriously," but also cautioned: "I don't know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation," Murphy said, according to 101.5. It's not contaminated water. Fortunately one of the survivors is an environmentalscientist Al Lupiano, who is bringing attention to this and he is relentlessly looking for answers. We will continue to keep you informed as we develop a plan of action based on the advice of our experts.. State health officials are now conducting an investigation into the cluster of 117 people. Robert Miller The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," Lupiano said. The sample came back indicating PCBs at concentration of 4.3 ug/wipe (or 100 cm2), indicating that PCBs may be present in indoor air, according to a report compiled by Komorek and obtained by NJ Advance Media. 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. Theres no telling if they're going to find answers here. CNN's Ana Cabrera speaks to Al Lupiano, a former student. But even more rare was the fact that his wife and sister later found out that they had similar medical conditions. 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. "We're going to test and hope we find nothing," McCormac previously said. The township announced results of an investigation. I will not rest until I have answers. He started researching and made a public plea on Facebook to anyone from the school who was diagnosed with primary brain tumors. The environmental assessment study at Colonia High School was recently completed, in response to allegations that suggested the school had radiological hazards that contributed to diagnoses. Here are the details: The lists below show 4-year graduation rates for New Jersey public schools for the 2020-21 school year. Job specializations: Healthcare. Matthew Stanmyre | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, found no traces of radiological contaminants. "I went on Facebook on March 7, and I asked for the people on Facebook to help me find others. My MIL died of lung cancer. Jason Wisinski lost his wife, Janice, 10 years ago to an inoperable brain tumor called Anaplastic Astrocytoma. The environmental assessment study at Colonia High School was recently completed, in response to allegations that suggested the school had radiological hazards that contributed to diagnoses of brain tumors, cancers, and other central nervous disorders in former students and staff members. ', Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. They may need to excavate soil underneath the school. 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 . Before National Geographic, he worked for more than four years at PBS NewsHour, where he co-created anaward-winning video series named ScienceScope. As of Thursday, Lupiano said he has confirmed 65 cases of people with rare brain tumors and they all are either Colonia High School graduates or had worked there, he says. The statewide graduation rate fell slightly, from 91% in 2019-20 to 90.6%. 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. So that has already begun. 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. Lupiano's sister passed away in February, 2022 at the young age of 44. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Lupiano, his wife Michele (CHS Class of 1991) and his sister Angela (CHS Class of 1995) were all diagnosed with rare, similar sized brain tumors on the left side. And Current teachers and staff deserve answers we 're going to test and hope we nothing. To come forward tumors, and his sister Angela died in February, just months after diagnosis. 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