For an interactive map version. That decades-long stretch ended in the early 2000s, but recent publicity around the cases prompted an exhaustive new investigation and radiological testing at the Woodbridge Township School District building. In a joint statement to CBS News, the New Jersey Department of Health and the state's Department of Environmental Protection said the agencies "are aware of the concerns raised by local residents, particularly as they relate to Colonia High School, and are partnering with Mayor McCormac and Woodbridge Township to better understand the issue and determine whether any relevant environmental exposure concerns are present at the site.". By that time, we hope the federal agencies are going to take over. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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To his knowledge, there was nothing remotely dangerous at the site. The states Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette backed up the mayors declaration the school was safe. Colonia High School (Google Maps) Middlesex County's Colonia High School, located in Woodbridge, has made national headlines in recent weeks after over 100 former students and faculty. Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. In addition, T&M and Cabrera Services Inc, a radiological and environmental remediation company, will acquire real time radiation measurements from the interior and exterior of the building as part of an intensive survey of all 28 acres of the Colonia High School property. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. All rights reserved, mysterious cluster of brain tumors dating back decades, He's looking for a place to host the screenings in early June, NJ Parents Demand Swifter Action in School Cancer Probe After 100+ Brain Tumors Diagnosed, Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, Next Winter Storm May Bring Even More Snow to NYC Area This Week: What to Know, 4 Ferraris Stolen on Long Island in Service Center Heist. According to United StatesEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. "Colonia is not a mega high school. Outdoors, radon disperses rapidly and, generally, is not a health issue. Two weeks from now, if we dont hear anything from the federal agencies, theres going to be a lot of yelling and screaming, and the parents are going to run out of patience, he said. Laumbach argued that thousands of suspected cancer clusters throughout the country dont meet federal government standards for that designation even if they are investigated by public health experts. He believes something at the high school in one of the more suburban and affluent sections of the township is responsible for dozens of brain cancer cases. "While we have not yet determined if any contaminant is present, the only link up to this point is that everyone spent a significant amount of time at the school," Lupiano wrote in his Facebook post. "They're the only ones with the authority to do something," Lupiano told CBS2's Kevin Rincon. 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. But public health experts are cautioning against deeming the tumor cases a "cancer cluster" just yet. Robert Miller The investigation was jumpstarted after it was discovered more 122 people once connected to. His wife was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, and his sister was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. They were very appreciative that we reached out to them but they were not interested in getting involved, and they kept trying to pass it off, and saying they will have to do research and get back to you, he said, referring to the New Jersey agency. But in 2021, his wife and sister, also. Knowing about the numbers we are talking about here, I think this meets every definition of what a cancer cluster looks like, he said. Heres how it works. "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.". By April 11, he had heard from more than 100 former Colonia High School attendees who had been diagnosed with rare tumors and cancers. Im doing this not only for my wife, my sister my nieces are currently in the school but this deserves further understanding. Brain cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 . All these photos are from AP and Getty publications, meaning they were used in a magazine or newspaper. His wife and sister both got it. While the family had hoped to move forward following the operation, tests . According to American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is normally extremely rare with an incidence of 3.21 per 100,000 people. Both Lupiano, 50, and his wife Michele, 49, who is also a Colonia graduate, have acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor. The cause of glioma, the tumor that occurs in the brain or spinal cord, is not known like most tumors, Mayo Clinic says. The issue became national headline in the United States after CBS News aired a story on it. According to the National Cancer Institute, "cases of cancer can appear to cluster even when there is no connection among them." I will not rest until I have answers, Lupiano, 50, declared in an interview with NJ.com and the Star-Ledger on Thursday. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. It is the type of brain tumor that Arizona Sen. John McCain died from in 2018. "When I looked at the email and I saw the data I just dropped. Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. Even though the cluster cases ended almost two decades ago, Lupiano appears as determined as ever to uncover the cause -- and he understands that parents who send their kids to school there now may have some concerns despite what officials tell them. This is definitely not normal.. Victim No. Angela M. DeCillis, a Colonia High School graduate, Class of '95. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. A man investigating his former high school in New Jersey says he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there have had a rare brain tumor. Since last August, Lupiano has spent countless hours trying to find other people linked to CHS with primary brain cancers. Unlike lab experiments, which can be tightly controlled, epidemiology and public health studies are often based on observations; as such, the answers can be incomplete or unsatisfying, Platz said. "We continue receiving lip service, that we're here to help, but when we look around, they are nowhere to be found.". "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. Its not something done to us due to bad habits.. READ MORE: Former Woodbridge, N.J. resident says 65 people who either attended or worked at Colonia High School have had rare brain tumors. "They'll have the means to do air sampling, water sampling and soil sampling," Lupiano told New Jersey 101.5. Donavyn Coffey is a Kentucky-based health and environment journalist reporting on healthcare, food systems and anything you can CRISPR. Check the photos below. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick told CBS New York the school, which was built in 1967, was built on "virgin land" in the woods. 94 people from Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey are part of a cancer cluster of still unknown origin. Lupiano said he has had meetings with county, state and federal agencies, which he said in a March 25 post "are going well.". 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. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. "We can get in there today and take air, water and soil samples and have results back the same day," Lupiano said. In 1999, at age 27, he was diagnosed with a large, benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. The City of Woodbridge has hired experts to conduct radiation tests inside school buildings and on school grounds, according to NJ Spotlight News. For the Lupianos, they believe the chances of all three of them having tumors on the left sides of their brains were too high to be a coincidence. Asking them to be patient for several more weeks is unacceptable. He accused the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry of being unresponsive to his calls for a formal probe. "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. 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. After his sister's death in February, Lupiano became convinced of a link between the Colonia. His condition was rare, but he was successfully treated. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. If it's an ongoing issue, we may have to go through this all over again in 10 to 20 years. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media members. 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An investigation has . More recently, a 1999 graduate died in 2016 of a head/neck tumor, while a 1998 graduate was diagnosed in 2014 with astrocytoma, a cancer of the brain stem. "We got the state and federal agencies involved, and we're starting some testing of the grounds and the air this weekend," McCormac said. "To say he was concerned when he discovered all three of us grew up in the same neighborhood is an understatement. We've received your submission. First published on May 4, 2022 / 10:52 PM. "The sooner we can get them to listen to us, the sooner we can do something.". #braincancer #glioblastoma #braintumor #radiation #medicalmystery #doctor. "I have full faith they will get to the bottom of this and they will figure out what is going on," she previously told News 4. According to Fox News, there have been instances of both malignant and benign brain tumors being discovered in former Colonia High School attendees. 4/24 UPDATE: The radiological team charged with looking for both radiation and radon has concluded. But where? 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. He has reached out to the state Department of Health, Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for help which is reportedly still in the early stages, according to the CBS News report. In other words, they will need to prove by statistical analysis that more Colonia staff and graduates developed brain cancer than people with their same characteristics (age, sex, location) over the same time. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. "I will not rest until I have answers," the 50-year-old told NJ.com. "That's probably been the biggest fear of all," Lupiano said. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano is. LaTourette said during the press conference every possible link to cancer was tested. Legal Statement. 2023 NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Brain tumor victims urge federal and state authorities to probe possible link with school. "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. Among the others diagnosed with brain cancer was Lupianos younger sister, who passed away from the disease in February at the age of 44. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Environmental scientist Al Lupiano tells NBC4 New . 2021 DEADLIEST YEAR IN US HISTORY DUE TO COVID-19, DRUG OVERDOSES. Over 122 people connected to Colonia High School were found to have brain tumors. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. The vast majority of those who have developed brain tumors graduated between 1975 and 2000, although outliers have come as recently as a 2014 graduate, according to the Star-Ledger. Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces. Today, Colonia enrolls approximately 1,300 students, with many said to be anxious about the possible cancer cluster. Further explanation of what occurred at that high school over these decades of people being in the building, Lupiano told Fox News Digital. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Lupiano also spoke with CBS News on Thursday, saying he now believes ionizing radiation must be responsible for the health issues. The devoted brother promised his sister on her deathbed that he would get to the bottom of what was causing the apparent cancer cluster at Colonia High. The number of reported victims has been growing since Al Lupiano, a former student in the 1980s and a cancer victim himself, appealed for names in a Facebook post on March 7. 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. Lupiano also suggested a potential link between Colonia High School and a Middlesex, New Jersey, sampling plant in his interview with NJ Spotlight. Acoustic neuroma, and his wife was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer colonia high school brain cancer from... 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