Market data provided by Factset. "We're all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of this. The issue became national headline in the United States after CBS News aired a story on it. Both his wife and sister were assigned the same doctor for treatment. He died 15 years ago from brain cancer. 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. 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. 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. Despite the number of possible cases, officials say they must first determine if there is any scientific evidentiary connection between the school grounds and the brain tumors. Almost 100 people from the very same New Jersey high school have all developed brain tumors. Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Lupianowould liketheir investigators to come in over spring break so that students are not disturbed. CBS News has reached out and is awaiting response from the principal of the school, superintendent and mayor as well as the Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry. "For the most part I'm pretty good today," Lupiano said. "They're the only ones with the authority to do something," Lupiano told CBS2's Kevin Rincon. Theres lots and lots of people calling me, saying, Look, I didnt go to the high school, but I live a mile away, and we call our block cancer alley,' said Lupiano. A copy of Lupianos list, with the names and phone numbers of victims redacted, includes some who, like Lupiano himself, graduated decades ago. Because cancer clusters are often suspected in very small subpopulations like neighborhoods, apartment buildings or homes on the same side of the street they can be very difficult to establish, Platz said. More than 100 people from the same high school have been diagnosed with brain cancer and it is feared soil contaminated with uranium used in the first atomic bomb made them ill. He just needs a place. The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to the school had a primary brain tumor and another 75 were diagnosed with other rare forms of cancer, according to NJ.com. By that time, we hope the federal agencies are going to take over. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a "cancer cluster" just yet. Lupiano launched the bid after his sister passed away from the disease and his wife too was diagnosed with the exact same form of aggressive tumour glioblastoma. New York, To his knowledge, there was nothing remotely dangerous at the site. His sister had recently died of cancer. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, The Department of Health will work with the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and will conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects. "I don't know what the cause is," Lupiano said. Its not something done to us due to bad habits.. Here's the latest for Wednesday April 6th: More sanctions against Russia expected; Zelenskyy warns that Russian troops are regrouping; Second Sacramento suspect under arrest; Severe storms from Texas to South Carolina. While not technically cancer, these brain tumors can grow and become life-threatening if left untreated. "This is terrific news for the current students of Colonia High School and their parents who worried about their safety, along with current staff members. We've received your submission. Last year, his wife who also attended Colonia was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. But doubts that the tumor cases represent a cancer cluster are unwarranted, said Lupiano, who predicted strong protests in the Woodbridge community if state and federal authorities dont start a formal investigation soon. An investigation has been launched after more than 100 people who attended a high school in New Jersey appeared to contract a rare cancer. The investigation will consider very granular data on graduates, like their occupations, family history and other activities that could affect their exposures. Without analyzing the data herself, Platz said shes not able to estimate how many of the 15,000 people who have gone through Colonia High in the past 30 years would need to have developed cancer for it to be considered a cluster. One former student at Colonia High School who developed a 'rare' brain tumor over 20 years ago and survived having cancer is looking to uncover the cause. Last month, he started a Facebook group asking locals whether they knew of any other people associated with the school who had been stricken by similar diagnoses. "It needs to be investigated, no questions asked," said Elizabeth A. Platz, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. She worked for 16 years to help other rising nurses at Rutgers and RWJ Barnabas Health. More than 100 former Colonia High School students and staff have been diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period. According to American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is normally extremely rare with an incidence of 3.21 per 100,000 people. ", In an earlier update, Lupiano said many of those who reached out to him about their brain tumor or cancer cases "are former CHS teachers and staff members who didnt live in Colonia, they just worked in the school. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began. No one knows why. "I have some lingering issues. Over 122 people connected to Colonia High School were found to have brain tumors. Working that out takes time, Platz said. This is definitely not normal.. Over 100 former students and staff from a New Jersey high school have been diagnosed with brain tumors. "It seems like in a little over a 20-year period to have 65 people on a list is somewhat alarming, it's quite alarming," said the mayor, who lives blocks away from Colonia High School, but added the link only appears to pertain to people who attended or worked at the high school. More than 100 primary brain tumors have now been linked to people who graduated or taught at Colonia High. Radiation tests are being carried out at a New Jersey high school where over 100 former students and staff are reported to have developed brain tumors and cancerand the . Lupiano began counting how many people associated with the town were effected. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . I still dont know what Im going to do with my kids, Komorek told NJ.com. . The plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built. "The rates are actually consistent in New Jersey with the United States," McGreevy said. Out of roughly 10,000 people, having more than five dozen cases of brain tumors and cancers is far above the average. The disturbing development became headline news this week after CBS News took it national. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. He initially found 15 people, allColonia High School graduates from around 1975 to 1995, had them, he said. . Updated on: May 4, 2022 / 11:30 PM An investigation has . He, his wife and sister were among those who were diagnosed with brain tumors. This is terrific news for the current students of Colonia High School and their parents, who worried about their safety, along with current staff members, and is also great news for all former students who attended and staff who worked at Colonia High School.. I have a really bad feeling were going to find contamination beyond the high school. Discussions with that doctor about the rarity of three family members all being diagnosed with brain tumors led to Lupiano's quest for more research because radiation exposure is a well-documented cause of brain tumors. 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"The only thing that could have happened, potentially, was fill that was brought in during construction. Twentyyears earlier, he was also diagnosed with an aggressive 36-millimeter acoustic neuroma. He's now among the many calling on the town, state and federal government to do more. Lupiano's familiarity comes from his own experience. For the past two decades, he's spoken with other victims, comforting them on message boards and Facebook. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a cancer cluster just yet. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. All rights reserved. "We absolutely have concerns, the Democrat told NJ.com. The city of Woodbridge says it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing at a school that graduated roughly 15,000 people over the last 30 years. "With that in mind, and after many weeks of work, I was able to negotiate an agreement with BTF to provide this service completely FREE of charge.". . Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. "As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation," he wrote. He says if there is something going on, he worries about all of the people that would be impacted. This is how New Jersey saw the world from 1940-to 1980. "We got the state and federal agencies involved, and we're starting some testing of the grounds and the air this weekend," McCormac said. The health department also looked at brain cancer rates for Colonia High School and compared them to rates of brain cancer throughout New Jersey and the United States. But how will officials figure out if a true cancer cluster exists or if the cases are simply a coincidence? It may be that once someone is diagnosed with cancer, they are more likely to take note of other cancer diagnoses or more likely to have conversations about cancer and realize their connections to other cancer patients, Platz said. Since the initial post, Lupiano has published a list of 115 people who attended or worked at Colonia and were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor, according to news reports. America today woke up to the news that brain cancer has been detected in more than 100 former students at a New Jersey high school. 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," Lupiano said. Normally speaking, you dont get radiation in a high school unless something is going on in that area that we dont know, Raval added, calling for an immediate investigation. On Tuesday after a public push by Lupiano local officials approved an emergency probe of the school. / CBS News. The chances of one person gettingacoustic neuroma are roughly 1 in 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media members. According to NJ Spotlight News, McCormac has been contacted by at least five agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Jersey Department of Health. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, I make $80k selling nudes to pay for cancer treatment men love bald look, Jimmy Carters niece says former president still has some time in him, Experts say youve been storing potatoes wrong this whole time and shut down cancer rumors, Joe Exotics doctors suspect he has bladder cancer but hes refusing treatment: report. According to the Mayo Clinic, an Acoustic Neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that is found on the primary nerve that . For now, radiation levels in and around the school are being monitored in a two-week test that began on April 9 by a private contractor hired by the municipality. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. "Al has presented enough evidence that warrants further attention, but we have to rely on the experts to draw their conclusions.". We do not believe that there is cause for any further testing, he said. #braincancer #glioblastoma #braintumor #radiation #medicalmystery #doctor. Michele M. Vercoski, a partner of McCune Law Group, is investigating the potential link between the rare brain tumor and many former Colonia High School students out of the MLG's office in Newark, New Jersey. But Lupiano was not initially sure that the high school was a link to the similar yet rare brain tumor cases until he made a request on Facebook for others who attended Colonia to reach out to him personally. 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. COLONIA, N.J. (WCBS 880) A New Jersey town is planning to conduct environmental testing at a high school after dozens of alumni and others connected to the institution developed rare brain tumors. "But I understand why anyone would be concerned. 2023 NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Brain tumor victims urge federal and state authorities to probe possible link with school. First published on April 25, 2022 / 10:26 AM. World News Posted by Amit Chaturvedi Updated: April 15, 2022 12:33 pm IST. He said the site was vacant land until the school was built in 1967,so he believes there is little chance anything was in the ground before then, but if there is anything on site, it could have come from fill during the construction phase. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. Like 6 Comments |. His illness was diagnosed in 1999; hers in 2001. Rob Laumbach, a Rutgers University professor of public health. The program will take real-time measurements of radiation inside and outside the building, the town said. Lupiano said he has had meetings with county, state and federal agencies, which he said in a March 25 post "are going well.". "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," he told CBS News York. In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. Lupiano and McCormac have spoken to officials with the state Department of Health and thefederalAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. If no link is found with the high school specifically, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, said other potential points of connection in the township will be explored, according to NBC Today. Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? A Colonia High School alum said he found 107 people with brain tumors who went to or worked at the school. More than 120 people who attended Colonia High School in New Jersey have been diagnosed with brain tumors. State Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichillisaid during the press conference a review of the cancer registry by health officials determined the expected number of primary brain tumors for Colonia students from 1968 to 2021 were 98 to 105 and among staff for that same timeframe were 13 to 14. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June and says he's had trouble working with local officials to find one. An MRI revealed Michele had a 30-millimeter acoustic neuroma, another raretype of brain tumor that develops on the nerves leading to the inner ear. McCormac speaks highly of Lupiano, who worked for nine years after college with EPA emergency responders. 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. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. But where? A part of the campus is named for Pat Barbato - a longtime football coach and athletic director. The school district's superintendent, Dr. Joseph Massimino, said in March that he was waiting to hear from the environmental agencies on next steps. In the United States, the rate of new cases of brain cancer or other nervous system cancer is 6.3 cases per 100,000 people per year, according to the National Institutes of Health. Janice's sister Chery Black also died from brain cancer in 2015. Public health experts will look at the rate of brain cancer cases and investigate potential causes. I'm still helping him get more attention.". "Also, records later revealed that in 1948, some radioactively contaminated materials had been trucked from the plant to the Middlesex Municipal Landfill (MML), one-half mile away. 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