We all grew up in Woodbridge Township, but I lived in Iselin miles away from where she grew up in Colonia. So, why am I asking for help? (Al Lupiano). 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 . And the soil was right below where the caulking is.". My wife fought like crazy. The incident rate for GBM is approximately 30 out of 1,000,000 people. 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. Wish me luck! ou can send me a private message using FB Messenger or call/text me at (732)718-4753. Graphic Video Captures Death of 14-Year-Old Boy on Orlando Free Fall Amusement Ride. Humans are awash in potential cancer-causing agents, and it is practically impossible to determine the cause of a given case. 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. Its very hard to pinpoint what it is that initiated that process.. "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. Powered by. 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. More than 100 people who graduated from Colonia High School have developed brain cancer. Sure, there's nothing inherently wrong with spending $11 on chicken tenders or $13 on a cocktail, but if you give yourself some extra time or have time to spare after the event, there are plenty of great food and drink options that all require less than a 20 minute walk. 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. In addition the Corps disposed of 33,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil contained within the (MML) pile. 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.". Local and federal environmental agencies say they are assisting the town of Woodbridge, New Jersey, in its investigation into more than 100 graduates of the same high school that have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. 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. In a mysterious story, a man from New Jersey named Al Lupiano found out that 100 people with uncommon cancers were linked to Woodbridge Township School District, Colonia High School. Secondary brain tumors, which originate elsewhere in the body and then spread to the brain, are more common. The answer? A former Woodbridge man has identified 84 Colonia High School alumni and former staffers with rare brain tumors and wants health officials to investigate. 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. 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. There could be a real problem here, and our residents deserve to know if there are any dangers, Woodbridges mayor, John McCormac, said in April. World News Posted by Amit Chaturvedi Updated: April 15, 2022 12:33 pm IST. 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. Updated: Feb 28, 2023 / 03:42 PM EST. (Google Maps). But, according to the Change.org petition launched Tuesday, complete results aren't even anticipated to be received until the end of May. Schools Radiation Testing Underway At NJ School With Possible Cancer Link They are now doing radon air testing after a 1989 Colonia grad said he found a high number of brain cancers linked to the . Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . Its alarming because there are just so many people with a tumor malignant or benign, and its serious. 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. "One hundred out of 15,000 have brain cancer -- sure sounds like something we should be concerned about," Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac has said. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. Michael J. Prongay AGE: 52 Colonia Michael J. Prongay passed away on Thursday, July 28, 2016 at his home in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township. What happened in my community continually repeats itself throughout this entire country, year in and year out, that survivor, Trevor Schaefer, told lawmakers in 2011. Several of these people have already died, according to Colonia High School graduate Al Lupiano, who said he was diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 1999 in a now-viral Facebook post. A A. I want someone else to go to.". Rich Strack, who taught English and philosophy at Colonia for about 30 years, likened the situation to a dark cloud hanging over the school. MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Search warrants unsealed Tuesday revealed more about what police were looking for, and what . People move in and out of town. Is the exposure ongoing? Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ 07067 Phone: 732-499-6500 Fax: 732-574-2575. Federal investigations take place: An investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency is being done to determine whether these 100-plus cases are a cancer cluster, or simply a coincidence, Fox News reported. A nationwide constellation of state cancer databases was put in place in 1992, but these cancer registries often fail to account for changes in residency. "I have full faith they will get to the bottom of this and they will figure out what is going on," she said at the time. Since the previously stated incident rate of GBM and AN is 10-30 out of 1,000,000, the rate of CHS brain tumors is 30,000 out of 1,000,000. WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. "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. Findings from an environmental review did not find any evidence of cancer-causing hazards at Colonia High School. We need answers! It started in 1999 when Mr. Lupiano, then 27, was diagnosed with a noncancerous one. At the time I was seeking treatment, my oncologist/neurosurgeon was astounded that someone my age (I was 27) had a tumor so large. For the past six months, Ive spent hundreds of hours scouring the internet and speaking to people about brain tumors. We are optimistic we will see some action soon. Beyond the adoption of genomic testing, which might identify a telltale genetic signature among patients with the same kind of cancer, no technological fix yet promises to address these problems. His wife was similarly diagnosed with a malignant AN tumor, and his sister was diagnosed with malignant Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which has an incident rate of 30 out of every 1 million people. 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 . I'm exhausted. Even so, these constraints do not relieve public health departments from their duty to do all they can to address their constituents concerns even if they cant deliver definitive answers and even if they are under strain themselves. He, his wife, and his sister all attended the school in the '90s. 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 . Earlier this year, officials claimed that penetrating radar tests on the grounds of Colonia High School concluded . Komorek said the school should be thoroughly tested for PCBs from indoor air through building materials and soil. If you would like to help, please contact the news and media agencies as well as your local, County, and State officials and get them involved. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fellow graduates from the Woodbridge Township school developed the same rare brain tumor and graduated between the years 1975 to 1995 . Before being devastated by a hurricane in 1960, Cliffwood Beach, NJ was a hot vacation spot that drew comparisons to Brooklyn's Coney Island. or redistributed. He was raised in Thornton, CO and moved to Liberal, Kansas where he married and had two girls, Chelsey and Amber. Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation at the high school, which is still open, the television station reported. "I don't think this is the end of the story. According to the television station, the sisters graduated from Colonia High School. People struggle to recall their past daily lives which seat they sat in during high school chemistry or where their drinking water came from five years ago. Edyta Komorek, an environmental scientist and mother of a Colonia High School rising junior and freshman, was not pacified by the results. V Trng Ton High School. At least one epidemiologist I spoke to for this article told me that, just glancing at the numbers, he wasnt surprised that public officials have determined Colonia was not a true cluster. Find Us . Colonia High School 180 East Street Colonia, NJ 07067 Phone: 732-499-6500 Fax: 732-574-2575. On the same day, his sister, Angela, learned she had a fast-growing malignant tumor, also on the left side of her brain. 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. Komorek said sources of PCB in the school could include window, door or sink caulk, floor tile glue, paint, fluorescent light ballasts, expansion joints, concrete and mortar, materials which can emit PCBs into indoor air. ", The agencies continued: "The Department of Health will work with the federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to provide an assessment of the potential health effects. "Nothing indicates that the school building or property is unsafe," he added. His most recent Facebook update, as of April 17, 2022, says that he has identified 102 cases. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. The high school was evacuated and a HAZMAT team secured the rock in a lead-lined box. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Email tips toaudrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants. 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. My wife Michele class of 91. He received his . So, if not localized exposure, and not something we inhaled or drank, what could be the link? Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. In the meantime, Komorek has taken her own two daughters out of Colonia High School, but the mayor cautions against calling it a cancer cluster. Earlier this year, 1989 Colonia High School graduate Al Lupiano 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 . Why would they include classes as recent as 2021 when we know many cancers take decades or longer to develop? 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. Theres something there, in Colonia, Mr. Wisinski said. "To me their health is the most important thing.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. But where did the exposure come from? All rights reserved. Al Lupiano first sent public nearly two months ago about concerns of a cancer cluster related to Colonia 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. This is a high bar to clear. Colonia Park Mall in court over $200,000 in bills WOODBRIDGE - An extensive field investigation that included assessing Colonia High School classrooms, building materials and the 28-acre East Street campus found no radiological hazards that warrant further investigation, an environmental assessment determined. My list currently stands at 90 cases. Market data provided by Factset. 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 diagnosed with brain tumors. The natural world can also pose a threat via volcanic ash or toxin-spewing fungi. His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. The plant then "decontaminated to the standards in effect at the time," though "overlooked during decontamination were traces of radioactive materials that had been carried offsite over the years by wind and rain to yards of neighboring homes," the USACE New York Division said on its website. Hold the phone in landscape mode. "[A]t least pick up the phone and say, Hey Al, what do you see? And I would be happy here's my list. See Al Luciano's entire NJSpotlight interview below. 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. Three of the victims are Al Lupiano, his wife Michelle, and his sister Angele Decillis. Thats 100 people with their life forever changed. Fox News reported that the plant received uranium, thorium and beryllium ores between the 1940s and 1967, which is the same year Colonia High School was built.. Of the number placed in January, 18 percent weighed less than 600 pounds, 24 percent weighed from 600 to 699 pounds, 27 percent weighed from 700 to 799 pounds, 18 percent weighed 800 . "If we can enrich science by showing that an unknown compound is in high concentration and link it to primary brain tumors, maybe we can protect others, remove it from our environment to make sure it never happens again," he said. According to My Central New Jersey, the township has approved an emergency contract of $221,350 for an engineering firm to conduct radiological assessments at Colonia High School.. More say the information flow is sorely lacking. Potentially contaminated soil had been removed from the Middlesex Borough property over the years,with some of the soil used for construction right around the time of the construction of 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Follow Joe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Among other things, the law calls for periodic updates to federal cluster investigation guidelines work that the C.D.C., compelled by the legislation, began in 2018. They have to stop its not that, not going to be that. State your name, what you were diagnosed with, when, and what year you graduated CHS or worked there. Our children and Colonia High School staff deserve more involvement of the State and Federal agencies. Its unclear whether any of those questions will ever be answered, and if they are, how residents would receive the responses. Ten L Man High School. 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. This is 18 hours a day. Al Lupiano, a graduate of Colonia High School, tells Fox News Digital that since posting his theory about an apparent link between brain tumor diagnoses in 1990s and early 2000s graduates of Colonia High School including himself, his wife and his sister, who recently died of cancer on Facebook in March, he has gathered the names of at least 110 graduates with rare brain tumors. 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. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Is cancer spreading at a New Jersey high school? The victims all went to Colonia High School in Woodbridge in New Jersey . Al Lupiano, speaking to CBS2, said the rare brain tumors were discovered in people who attended Colonia High School. My three siblings graduated class of 91, 95, and 98. I will not rest until I find the answer! 2023 www.mycentraljersey.com. An alum of Colonia High School in Woodbridge is raising the alarm over a possible cancer cluster among the school's graduates. At an educational board meeting in June, Mrs. Komorek laid out the possible leads she and others would like to see explored, like whether the schools 1960s-era building materials contain mercury or formaldehyde. Lupiano promised his dying sister to dig for the root of the brain cancers apparently linked to the high school. 27 /r/newjersey, 2023-02-22, 22:36:15 Permalink. In 1999, I too was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumor on my left side. 3/29 UPATE: The list has continued to grow, and now stands at 65 individuals. My main focus is still on determining if ionizing radiation is the cause of these tumor and other rare cancers. Al Lupiano . Would love your thoughts, please comment. The AP participation rate at Colonia High School is 37%. 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. The study doesnt close anything. Im 99.99 percent convinced.. If you are or know of a friend, family member, or teacher that was diagnosed with a PRIMARY brain tumor, please contact me. When I analyzed the numbers I wasnt prepared to see the results! observed in 1990. According to ABC7, one of the victims was a woman named Janice Wisinski, who died 10 years ago from an inoperable brain tumor while pregnant. Legal Statement. So, if you wish to help, please help me get the word out. 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. V Th Su High School. Ms. Renault is a health and science journalist. Legal Statement. So it's not unheard of. An estimated 165,000 cattle and calves were placed on feed during January 2023, 14 percent above last month but down 17 percent from the January 2022 placements. ", "They tend to leave stuff behind, and that stuff tends to migrate from one location to another. Tonight I will be sitting down with The Garden State Podcast, which airs on various podcast services and Tik Tok. Edyta Komorek, an environmental scientist and parent with two children enrolled at the school, met on Monday with Superintendent of Schools Joseph Massimino, Colonia High School Principal Kenneth Pace and the president of the Woodbridge Township Education Association to discuss findings of some testing she had done at the school. 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