Her sister Cheryl Black died of brain cancer in 2015. So, why am I asking for help? They asked us to do this, and we did it. Phil Murphy told NJ.com the possible brain tumor cluster was disturbing but stressed it was too soon to make definitive conclusions about the cause. By the time you see a tumor in a mammogram, it may be that that tumor has been growing for six years, said Rachel Morello-Frosch, a professor of public health at the University of California, Berkeley. McCormac said the investigation found "no cause and effect relationship between those illnesses and the building or grounds at Colonia High School." Kate McGreevy, an epidemiologist from the New Jersey Department of . Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. I pray we find answers(as of 18:00 4/11, the list stands at 102 individuals), 4/5 UPDATE: There has been quite a lot of news coverage nowKatie Tur of MSNBC, NJ Spotlight, Tap Into, Infolad, etc. I want someone else to go to.". Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School . On the same day, his sister, Angela, learned she had a fast-growing malignant tumor, also on the left side of her brain. McCormac said he has seen Komorek's findings and consulted with the superintendent of schools. Rohit Ranjan. Hng Vng High School. Image: Unsplash. "They kind of understand," Komorek said, adding her children have to start over with new classes, teachers and schoolmates. It was an entry point for African uranium ores known as pitchblende that were imported for use in the nations early atomic energy program, were assayed at the Middlesex Sampling Plant and then shipped to other sites for processing, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York Division. They have to stop its not that, not going to be that. according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York Division. "The agencies acknowledged their concerns regarding the potential cancer cluster, but are not conducting any testing aside from radiation and radon that the Township undertook, even though the school remains open. Wish me luck! An alumnus of Colonia High School in Woodbridege, N.J. is investigating his former high school, claiming he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there to have had a rare brain tumor . 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. We need action! She sent them to independent laboratories and says the results were alarming. The New Jersey cancer registry offers little help, since not everyone who went to or worked at Colonia still lives in Woodbridge, and not everyone in Woodbridge went to Colonia. Warning signs of bile duct cancer; 4 mins ago China's real estate market in 'thirst' for credit; 5 mins ago 3 lonely constellations have companions, difficult ones have someone to show the way; 6 mins ago Le Quang Liem won a beautiful victory against the Filipino-American chess prodigy; 8 mins ago Concerned about the agency to settle land . "The medical journals are rich with data supporting ionizing radiation causes brain tumors. One month later, Mayor McCormac echoed this sentiment to me: Its frustrating that people who hoped that there was no radiation on the site now are upset that theres not, he said. These tumors usually grow at 1 mm per yearAt 3.6 cm, my AN tumor appeared to have grown at an unprecedented rate (I had an MRI of the neck and brain a few years earlier for an unrelated issue and the tumor was not present). Colonia High School cancer probe -- test results expected? Why is this alarming? "That was a red flag," said Komorek who also collected a caulk sample from outside the school and soil samples, both of which also came back for PCBs. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Al Lupiano, a graduate of the high school, believes there's a link between Colonia High School and brain tumors diagnosed in 108 people over a period of three decades, ending in the early 2000s. Al Lupiano, a 1989 Colonia High School graduate, has developed a list of nearly 120 people who were students, teachers or staff members at the school who have developed brain tumors.Lupiano's . PCBs are Polychlorinated biphenyls, otherwise known as highly carcinogenic chemical compounds the production of which has been banned since 1979. Lupiano, an environmental scientist, said he has confirmed 65 cases of people with rare brain tumors, adding the common denominator is they were all Colonia High School graduates or had worked there. Three weeks ago, I made a promise to my beloved sister on her deathbed I will uncover the truth! Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Ive requested a few pieces of historical data, trying to determine the history of the site prior to the construction of the HS. At the time I was seeking treatment, my oncologist/neurosurgeon was astounded that someone my age (I was 27) had a tumor so large. Was it the street or neighborhood where we grew up linking us? On May 26, Mayor McCormac and state environmental and public health officials held a news conference in the high schools gymnasium to share their final determination: There was no indication of any potential radiological hazards that would warrant further inquiry. Market data provided by Factset. I needed more data. McCormac said both commissioners acknowledged they received the township's email and he hopes to hear back from them soon. "So if that's the case, that could explain why we have pockets of these rare cancers all over Woodbridge Township.". "To me their health is the most important thing.". 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. PROMISING CANCER VACCINE IN THE WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS. 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, said Lupiano to ABC 7. All the testing, both by Komorek and the district, came after 108 people from over a period of three decades ending in the early 2000s who attended the school were diagnosed with brain tumors. As part of the demonstration, the teacher used theinstrument to test a collection of rocks stored in the closet of the science class when one of the rocks registered a reading of radioactivity. The answer? Edyta Komorek, an environmental scientist and mother of a Colonia High School rising junior and freshman, was not pacified by the results. The situation first came to light after Colonia High School alumnus Al Lupiano identified at least 104 former students and staff who suffered from rare brain tumors and cancer. I have made this shareable from my personal page if you would like to sharethank you for your assistance! According to Tapinto.net, Colonia High opened in 1967, built on woodland property near the Garden State Parkway, in the communitys estate section, surrounded by residential neighborhoods.. My sister and siblings attended Lynn Crest, Colonia Middle, and Colonia High School. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, These tumors are even more rare occurring in 10 out of 1,000,000 individuals. A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. This is 18 hours a day. Some depend on the type of exposure, others unleash carcinogenesis only in people with the right genetic predisposition. A former Woodbridge man has identified 84 Colonia High School alumni and former staffers with rare brain tumors and wants health officials to investigate. is continuing. Their neurologist, who has been recognized as a global leader in neurosurgery by the World Federation of Neurological Societies, has treated and been involved with tens of thousands of brain tumors in his career. "It's overwhelming. People who have been exposed to ionizing radiation have an increased risk of developing primary brain tumors, whether they are malignant or benign, according to the Mayo Clinic. His sister Angela Decillis graduated . Back in March, Colonia High graduate Al Lupiano posted his theory about possible links between brain tumors diagnoses among 1990s and early 2000s graduates of Colonia High and since then, he . And, YESI most definitely DO! Lupiano has been posting lengthy updates to his Facebook page: 4/11 UPDATE: 100as of midnight Sunday 4/10, I recorded the 100th case of someone having a primary brain tumor. 3/29 UPATE: The list has continued to grow, and now stands at 65 individuals. All three had attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge, in central New Jersey, and soon enough, Mr. Lupiano began asking on Facebook and on a local news site if any other graduates had similar diagnoses. Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia High School. In 2016, Congress passed Trevors Law, named after a survivor of childhood brain cancer linked to a suspected cluster in Idaho deemed too small to study. All rights reserved, concluded there was no dangerous or carcinogenic radiation there, 107 Cases of Brain Tumors Led to Investigation at NJ High School: Mayor Announces Results, Study of NJ HS at Center of Cancer Cluster Mystery Shows No Radioactivity: Mayor, Grad Inks Deal to Bring Free Brain Scans to NJ Community in Cancer Cluster Mystery, 108 people from over a period of three decades ending in the early 2000s, no traces of radioactivity found in the school, Next Winter Storm May Bring Even More Snow to NYC Area This Week: What to Know. If I trusted those numbers, I would be relieved, and I would be happy, she said. "[A]t least pick up the phone and say, Hey Al, what do you see? And I would be happy here's my list. Several news agencies have reached out to me and I anticipate the completed articles and interviews will be released shortly. Its unclear whether any of those questions will ever be answered, and if they are, how residents would receive the responses. So, if not the neighborhood, what was the link? r indicating there were no radiological hazards at Colonia High School, Some in Colonia not satisfied after no radiological hazards found at school, developed a list of more than 120 people who were students, teachers or staff members at the school from the 1970s to 1990s who have apparently developed brain tumors, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Colonia High School in New Jersey has seen more than 100 students and staff diagnosed with cancer over the last 30 years. The study doesnt close anything. Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . This list too has grown quickly and is now 24 individuals. All of them graduated from Colonia High School, and they all have brain tumors, ABC7 reported. Aside from being the home of the NHL's NJ Devils, they also attract major music acts ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Fall Out Boy to Justin Bieber. When the state health department calculated the number of brain and other nervous system tumors that would be expected among the cohort of students and staff from 1968 to 2021, it concluded it could be up to 120 individuals just slightly under Mr. Lupianos count of about 125 (though he believes his tally is an undercount). According to Fox News, getting scrutiny in the controversy is the now-closed Middlesex Sampling Plant, which is a half hour away from Colonia. What we were not prepared for was for the state to say, Were satisfied, after doing one simple test, Mr. Lupiano said. All rights reserved. RWJBarnabas Health and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. There never was a cancer cluster, Mr. McCormac said in June. said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. And suddenly, it hit me! We have to really take a look at it, said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac to ABC 7. Casey returns to the Senate after cancer surgery 11 hours ago . 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. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. 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. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 03:42 PM EST. 3/25 UPDATE: The meetings with County, State, and Federal agencies are going well. Komorek, who was hesitant about having her children, a junior and a freshman, at the high school, transferred them to another district school this week. Legal Statement. The sizes of neighborhood clusters are often too small to yield statistically significant results. "Most of them during the years of 1972 to 2000," said Matthew Stanmyre with NJ Advance Media, who broke the . Radiological assessments will be conducted throughout the . "Nothing in the newly reported information has any bearing on the prior studies which determined last spring that no radiation was found inside or outside of Colonia High School," Massimino said in his letter, adding parents would be kept informed of a plan of action based on the advice of experts. If there are any potential environmental exposure pathways identified and a need for further environmental sampling, the state Health Department will work cooperatively with ATSDR to conduct a public health assessment and evaluate the potential for health effects. V Th Su High School. My wife fought like crazy. The updates also move to de-emphasize statistical significance as the main criterion for investigating suspected cancer clusters in order to make more room for other criteria, such as mortality and electronic health record data, neighborhood patterns of cancer and even community-created lists of individuals with cancer diagnoses. With confirmed cases now at 61 we have an incidence of 61 out of approximately 10,000 individuals. Ive done the leg work for them and gathered the data for the last 6 months. These ores, imported for use in the nations early atomic energy program, were assayed at the Middlesex Sampling Plant and then shipped to other sites for processing. As previously stated, there is basically one medically proven cause of rare brain tumors like ours radiation. Cancer survivor Al Lupiano says more than 100 former Colonia High School attendees have been diagnosed with rare cancers on 'Cross Country.'#FoxNews #CrossCo. Over and over, the facts spoke for themselves all were alumni of CHS from approximately 1975 1995. ( NewsNation) An investigation is underway at a New Jersey high school that could potentially be linked to what's known as a cancer cluster. 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 were found . ou can send me a private message using FB Messenger or call/text me at (732)718-4753. It was Lupiano, who is an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, who started connecting the dots. By Sean Adams, WCBS Newsradio 880. The total minority enrollment is 53%, and 34% of students are economically disadvantaged. 3/21 UPDATE: I am scheduled to present my data to local, County, and State officials. Very often the first time public health officials learn about a potential community health threat, said Dr. Morello-Frosch, is through community members themselves.. The designation is the first, prerequisite step on the path toward a full-throated response, from investigation to cleanup and remediation and, potentially, legal recourse. Facebook Colonia High School. Cancer Cluster Probe at NJ HS Underway After 100+ Diagnosed With Brain Tumors, What Is Aphasia? Pollution gets cleaned up or dissipates into the air. So it's not unheard of. For the past six months, Ive spent hundreds of hours scouring the internet and speaking to people about brain tumors. Lupiano eventually arrived at a single linking factor between himself, his wife and his sister: they each attended Colonia High School in Woodbridge in the 1990s. During the freshman orientation for parents, she collected a dust sample inside a bathroom which came back positive for polychlorinated biphenyls also known as PCBs, which have been linked to cancer in humans. While I have spent countless hours gathering data, I simply havent had enough time to get others involved. The perception of a cluster in a community may be as important as, or more important than, an actual cluster, the C.D.C. All three of them have since come down with rare brain disorders. Others we choose exposure to: alcohol, tobacco, processed meat, tanning beds. Because the school remains open, we demand greater urgency to find out if potentially harmful substances are harming our children and staff at Colonia High School.". We are optimistic we will see some action soon. It is possible that soil from the plant had been trucked to Colonia High School during its construction in 1967, according to the NJ Spotlight. Ten L Man High School. I have a really bad feeling we're going to find contamination beyond the high school. Colonia Park Mall in court over $200,000 in bills A cancer survivor is vowing to untangle the twisted mystery of why almost 100 people associated with a New Jersey high school have developed "extremely" rare malignant brain tumors. America today woke up to the news that brain cancer has been detected in more than 100 former students at a New Jersey . More say the information flow is sorely lacking. But Mr. Lupiano said he ultimately hopes one way or another to be assured that all is as it should be. Superintendent of Schools Joseph Massimino announced the findings Thursday in a letter to township families, following allegations . "We and our children deserve more! Thats why scientists and responders bear a great responsibility when it comes to helping citizens navigate uncertainty around a disease like cancer, which on its own can feel random and inexplicable. Trinity was led by Mike Bednostin who had a game-high 24 points. On April 10, Mr. Lupianos list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. Colonia High School is located in Colonia, New Jersey. Of the 120 or so known carcinogens, some are inescapable, like sunshine, engine exhaust, air pollution or the asbestos still embedded in millions of older buildings. ", The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also said in a statement that it has "received information about the community's concerns related to Colonia High School and "will communicate with both the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Department of Health as they investigate the matter.". "From my perspective when we find this type of contamination on our client's property, we're not allowed to sit still and refuse to act. The Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are now leading the investigation into the high instances of brain tumor diagnoses among Colonia High School students and staff. 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. But, in order for me to take the next steps, I need the help of others. DeCillis passed away at the age of 44 from a rare form of brain cancer. He was born in . For public health officials, resolving this tension is the macro version of bedside manner: How do you reassure a frightened patient that nothings wrong? 1:07. Chu Vn An High School. While generally only life threatening if left untreated, radiation and surgical removal typically leaves individuals with numerous debilitations including chronic headaches, balance issues, fatigue, deafness, slurred speech, inability to blink, and facial paralysis (to name only a few), and that assumes it doesnt begin to regrow in the future. While there is no known direct correlation between this incident and the cluster of brain tumors that has emerged from former students and staff, it is worth noting the history of that area that could have potentially led to both incidents. Even before Mr. Lupianos list had reached 100 people, it had drawn the attention of local and national news media and had catalyzed public officials to act. If you are willing, please record a short video on your phone of yourself talking about your issue. Keep it to 30 seconds or less. T+M Associates, an environmental engineering firm, was asked to investigate a link between the school and brain cancer last month. Despite these odds, cancer cluster designations are considered crucial for both health officials interested in protecting public safety, and communities who fear theyve been exposed to cancer-causing agents. However, the agency accepts a greater responsibility for helping communities cope with this uncertainty and the lack of resolution that often characterizes these investigations. In 1980s, the contaminated residential properties were cleaned up, and the excavated soil was stored at the site in a specially constructed pile, known as the Vicinity Properties (VP) pile. Between August 1999 and November 1999, the Corps disposed of 35,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the VP pile. All rights reserved. The city of Woodbridge has been taking the lead on that front, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing at a school that graduated roughly 15,000 people over the last 30 years. A consultant will be testing the grounds at Colonia High School, New Jersey, amid concerns that the school is linked to a high rate of rare brain cancers. High School Lost My Transcript 16 /r/applyingtocollege, 2023-02-20, 17:42:41 Stage IV update 15 /r/pancreaticcancer .
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