An investigation was launched after more than 100 people who attended a New Jersey high school apparently developed a “rare” form of brain cancer years after graduating or working there.
The apparent connection was uncovered by a former student at Colonia High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey, after Al Lupiano, now 50, suffered what was said to be a “rare” brain tumor about 20 years ago.
He thought nothing of it until his wife was diagnosed with the exact same form of glioblastoma, followed by his sister, who also contracted the aggressive tumor and finally took her own life last month.
Al Lupiano, 50, and his wife Michele both attended Colonia High School in New Jersey together and both have rare brain tumors
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, glioblastoma is usually extremely rare, with an incidence of 3.21 per 100,000 people, but since I asked for others to come forward, 102 people who went through school between 1975 and 2000 have all suffered from some kind of brain tumors.
Lupiano, an environmental scientist, decided to post his experience on Facebook because he was convinced there was something connecting his sister’s untimely death to his and his wife’s experiences.
Woodbridge officials are now further investigating the matter to try to determine an underlying cause.
Lupiano’s 44-year-old younger sister, Angela DeCillis, died in March. His wife Michele can be seen on the right
Lupiano swore to his sister that he would uncover the cause of the tumors
Lupiano was diagnosed with his tumor in 2002.
In his search for the truth, he began with a small group of patients, but as the number grew, he realized that the sufferers had either worked or attended the same high school.
“I started researching and three became five, five became seven, seven became 15,” Al Lupiano said.
“Fast forward to August of last year. My sister received the news that she had a primary brain tumor herself. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a stage 4 glioblastoma. Two hours later, we received information that my wife also had a primary brain tumor,” Mr. Lupiano told CBS News.
Lupiano’s 44-year-old younger sister, Angela DeCillis, died in March, fueling this latest search for more. He promised on her deathbed to uncover the truth behind the horrific disease.
“I will not rest until I have answers. I will uncover the truth,” he promised NJ.com.
So far, 102 people who attended or worked at the school had cancerous tumors
Six weeks ago, he reached out to former Colonia High School classmates and teachers on Facebook to ask if any of them were also dealing with rare brain tumors.
His inbox was flooded with replies.
The vast majority of those who develop brain tumors graduated between 1975 and 2000, although there is one case as recently as 2014.
“What I find alarming is that there’s really only one environmental link to primary brain tumors, and that’s ionizing radiation. It’s not contaminated water. It’s not air. It’s not something in the ground. It’s not something that’s done to us because of bad habits,’ Lupiano said.
Lupiano tried to find out what was on the school’s site before construction.
“What I find alarming is that there’s really only one environmental link to primary brain tumors, and that’s ionizing radiation. It’s not contaminated water. It’s not air. It’s not something in the ground. It’s not something that’s done to us because of bad habits,” said Lupiano, pictured
“It was virgin land. It was forest. The high school was the first thing there, so probably nothing was in the ground at the time. The only thing that could possibly happen was fill material put in during construction. We don’t have a record from 55 years ago,” Woodbridge Mayor John McCormick told CBS.
The state Department of Health, the Department of Environment and the Federal Agency on Toxins and Diseases are currently investigating the cases.
The diagnoses of more than 100 people who have been in contact with Lupiano include “several types of primary brain tumors, including cancerous forms such as glioblastomas and benign but debilitating masses such as acoustic neuromas, hemangioblastomas and meningiomas.”
“Finding something like this…is a significant discovery,” said Dr. Sumul Raval to NJ.com.
Lupiano believes that contaminated soil removed from a nearby site where a nuclear bomb was built may have been dumped on the site where the school was built
“You don’t normally get radiation in a high school. . . unless something happens in that area that we don’t know.’
“There could be a real problem here and our residents deserve to know if there are any dangers,” McCormick said. “We’re all concerned, and we all want to get to the bottom of it. This is definitely not normal.
“We’re looking at possible things we can do between the city and the school and they said they’ll look at anything we can think of,” McCormick added.
“I am a lifelong resident here. I raised my family here. Therefore, the health and safety of our students is of the utmost importance to me,” said District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Massimo.
Lupiano has previously shared a theory, telling NJ Spotlight News that the school was located 12 miles from the Middlesex Sampling Plant, which was used to crush, dry, store, pack and ship uranium ore for atomic bomb development.
He claims some of the contaminated soil was removed from the site after it closed in 1967 — the same year Colonia High School was built.
Lupiano wonders if maybe some of the contaminated soil ended up on the school grounds.