PROMISING CANCER VACCINE IN THE WORKS UTILIZING SIMILAR MRNA TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS COVID: DUKE RESEARCHERS. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor in 1999 when he was 27 called Acoustic Neuroma. "It was clearly alarming enough that it merited further attention and I just helped him get that attention. 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. 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. A single New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking 100 people diagnosed with rare cancers or tumors to a Woodbridge high school. For anothertwo decades, he held similar jobs withbig companies including Lockheed Martin. 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. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired UK, Popular Science and Youth Today, among others. Like 6 Comments |. / CBS New York. Patients would be injected with a small bead the size of a pinhead - and this bead would act as a "factory," secreting a protein that gets the body's white blood cells to destroy the tumor and fight cancer. His wife was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, and his sister was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Make no mistake when the department believes that people are at risk we act and immediately so, he told media members. Until then, he knew of 15 former Colonia attendees who had been diagnosed with brain tumors. New York, Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began. Its not something in soil. 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. Many more came forward after the posting, and by Thursday, the number had grown to 103, Lupiano told NJ Spotlight News. He's identifiedat least 65 people, including graduates and former staff who walked the halls of CHS from 1975 to 1995. Brain cancer is rare, being detected in about one in 15,000 . 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. The brain tumor cases, appearing over a thirty-year period, are a significant medical mystery that has caused alarm for experts. for 7-year-old's rare brain cancer. Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Lupiano began researching to see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors. A single New Jersey man has uncovered a medical mystery apparently linking 100 people diagnosed with rare cancers or tumors to a Woodbridge high school. The four-year high school has more than 1,300 students. McCormac said he was very concerned to learn of the possible link. The disturbing development came to the fore after one of the former students Al Lupiano - a cancer survivor - decided to untangle the mystery. T&M Associates already started conducting historic site research to obtain records related to the school's construction in1967 to today. Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, More: 'It can't be a coincidence': Colonia High School community probes mysterious cancer cases. 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. Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. "We thank Mayor McCormac [sic] and the local residents for raising these concerns and we ask for patience as we pursue the science to try to identify answers," the statement reads. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. Published on Apr 08, 2022 Al Lupiano and his wife, Michele, at their home in Jamesburg,. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two environmentalists are using a GPS to test for radiation on the grounds of Colonia High School. His illness was diagnosed in 1999; hers in 2001. The township and school district have had discussions and meetings with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the state Department of Health, the state Department of Environmental Protection and Rep. Frank Pallones office. Many of the former staff and teachers included in the total lived outside Woodbridge Township making the high school, so far, the only clear link. The township announced results of an investigation. He initially found 15 people, allColonia High School graduates from around 1975 to 1995, had them, he said. 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. The department declined to comment for this story. Dating back decades, newly detailed reports of more than 100 cases of brain tumors among former students and staff at Colonia High School in Woodbridge have raised obvious concerns. WOODBRIDGE The township has approved an emergency contract of $221,350 for an engineering firm to conduct radiological assessments at Colonia High School, following a 1989 graduate's research indicating a possible link between the school and brain tumor cases among former students and staff. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address On the exact same day, Lupianos younger sister, Angela DeCillis, another alumna of Colonia, learned that she too had brain cancer. 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.. Both Lupiano, 50, and his wife Michele, 49, who is also a Colonia graduate, have acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor. 55, for example, died from glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2016 after graduating in 1981. T&M Associates of Middletown and its team of environmentalists are scheduled to begin collecting data at the high school this weekend by placing radon canisters throughout the building to collect air samples, according to township officials. Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect, CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". If we dont find anything, we have to start looking at other potential candidates, whether its chemicals or something in the soil or air. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "We got the state and federal agencies involved, and we're starting some testing of the grounds and the air this weekend," McCormac said. Middlesex Sampling Plant to Colonia High School in New Jersey. 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.". On April 10, Mr. Lupiano's list of former students and staff members with primary brain tumors hit 100 names. 100 PEOPLE WITH RARE TUMORS WHO ATTENDED SAME NEW JERSEY HIGH SCHOOL DEMAND ANSWERS The 110 people that Lupiano has counted on his list of former Colonia High School graduates have been. But to date we dont have any environmental factors that are known to cause brain tumors.. "I started doing some research and the three became five, the five became seven, the seven became 15," he told CBS News York. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "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. The gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Its not contaminated water. 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. "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. Since starting his research, Lupiano said that number has increased to about 90 people, including about 10 who were school staff members, some who worked in the cafeteria and others from the athletic department. during the press conference posted on the townships Youtube page. Jason Wisinski, who lost his wife and sister-in-law, both Colonia High alumnae, to . His wife was similarly diagnosed with an abnormally large AN tumor, and his sister was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which has an incident rate of 30 out of every 1 million people, Lupiano explained in a Facebook post that he has been updating since March 7. But brain . In 1999, when he was just 27, Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a "very rare" and abnormally large brain tumor for someone his age called Acoustic Neuroma (AN). His wife Michelle graduated in 1991. At the end of the study we are either going to know if there is a problem linked to radiation or not, he said. One parent told the outlet she doesnt think the probe did enough testing because it didnt take water or soil samples. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Cancer diagnosis: Detection, testing and research, Parasite found in cat poop linked to higher brain cancer risk in humans, Once-dreaded poliovirus could treat brain cancer. In the 1980's, 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," the USACE New York Division's website states. . 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. McCormack said the town wants local and federal involvement in the investigation. Colonia High School Costello-Greiner Funeral Home - Woodbridge Sunday, January 1, 2023 Add Photos Add a Memory Sandra Wilson Sandra Wilson was born to Sarah Wilson and James Bradley on November. #braincancer #glioblastoma #braintumor #radiation #medicalmystery #doctor. Lupiano also spoke with CBS News on Thursday, saying he now believes ionizing radiation must be responsible for the health issues. Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . In a post Saturday, Lupiano said a radiological team that was looking for radiation and radon concluded their search. A report outlining results is expected in about a month, McCormac said. To find something like this is a significant discovery, Dr. Sumul Raval, one of New Jerseys top neuro-oncologists, told the outlet. Jon Hurdle, a freelance writer who regularly reports on water and other environmental issues, is part of the NJ Spotlight COVID-19 reporting team. Lupianowould liketheir investigators to come in over spring break so that students are not disturbed. "I'm not particularly concerned because it hasn't happened in quite some time. On Tuesday after a public push by Lupiano local officials approved an emergency probe of the school. (Al Lupiano). 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. In less than six weeks, Lupiano says, he has gathered the names of 94 people connected with the school who have developed brain tumors. Stanmyre: Right now, the number this week is up to 117 people who have been found to have a primary brain tumor of some sorts, according to data from Al Lupiano, who is the Colonia graduate who. McCormac speaks highly of Lupiano, who worked for nine years after college with EPA emergency responders. There is one well documented cause of brain tumors radiation exposure," he continued. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The states Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette backed up the mayors declaration the school was safe. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in . / CBS News. (Gosselin Funeral Home) In August 2021, DeCillis received her diagnosis of Grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive, rare, and deadly form of brain cancer. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding, in part, students return to remote learning. Parents like Dawn Genoni are willing to wait for that critical update. The study was to see if the area possibly had radiological contaminants that would contribute to diagnoses of brain cancers and other central nervous system tumors or disorders among these alumni, teachers and current students. 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. According to the Mayo Clinic, an Acoustic Neuroma is a slow-growing tumor that is found on the primary nerve that . Is it a cancer cluster or a coincidence? Hours after Deciliis got her diagnosis, Lupiano's wife Michelereceived similar news. This is definitely not normal," the mayor further said in the statement. The announcement comes on the heels of the development that a New Jersey man who graduated from the high school that he believes is linked to a mysterious cluster of brain tumors dating back decades -- and to his own diagnosis -- says he's gotten a New York City-based foundation signed on to offer free brain scans to people in the community who may not otherwise have access. While benign, treatment can leave victims with hearing loss, trouble balancing, and several other serious symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Rather than looking at all central nervous system cancers over 30 years, investigators will likely look at rates of specific types of brain tumors and how long after high school these tumors developed, she said. Know What It Is, Nagaland Minister Pokes Fun At G20 Flower Pots Theft Accused, This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. The vast majority dont have a cause that explains the cluster, said Laumbach, who is leading a federal study into the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), so-called forever chemicals, among 1,300 residents of Paulsboro in Gloucester County. Frequently, in hazmat, you never find it in the first shot," Lupiano said. The Township of Woodbridge, in cooperation with the Woodbridge Township School District, has taken the proactive initiative to contract with T&M and Cabrera Services, Inc., a nationally recognized radiological and environmental remediation company, to engage their team of environmentalists to begin collecting data at Colonia High School, the town said in a statement. To see if other Woodbridge friends and family members had been diagnosed with brain tumors CHS from 1975 to.! 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