Rare Brain Cancer Diagnosed in 94 People From Colonia High School in New Jersey

Around 94 people who studied or worked at Colonia High School in the Woodbridge Township School District in New Jersey have been diagnosed with rare brain cancer for the past 30 years, and some of the survivors want answers to this mystery.

Al Lupiano, now 50 years old, told the New York Post that he was diagnosed with a type of glioblastoma sometime in the 1990s. Then his wife and his sister were found to have the same rare brain cancer. His sister recently succumbed to the disease at 44 years old. 

The father said he initiated a Facebook group to find other people in their community who could have the same disease. His group expanded within six weeks of creation, and he was able to gather information about rare brain cancer cases from his former school, Colonia High School. 

Lupiano, an environmental scientist, reported what he knew to the school that told city officials. He believes that there could be an ionizing radioactive substance within the school as it's "truly only one environmental link to primary brain tumors."

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Investigations and Tests Underway at Colonia High School 

Mayor John E. McCormac has ordered a $221,350 emergency radiological assessment at Colonia High School. Per My Central New Jersey, initial samplings using radon canisters have been placed around the school in early April and will remain there for at least two weeks. 

The mayor said they expected the results after a month, but he hoped the canisters would register "absolutely nothing" to appease their fears and concerns. T&M Associates, the radiological and environmental remediation firm doing the assessments, has also started site research on the school's construction in the 1960s. The school sits on a 28-acre property, a former vacant land.

McCormac said that they found no other records of the land 55 years ago since it was the high school that was the only thing built on the site. If there were any radioactive contaminations, they likely came from the soil fill brought in during the school's construction. Some 12 miles across Colonia High School is the Middlesex Sampling Plant, which used to be under the operation of the Manhattan Project. This facility stored, packed, and shipped uranium ore during the development of the atomic bomb decades ago.

The township has also met with members of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal and state Environmental Protection Agency, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the state's Department of Health. 

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Worries for the Cancer Cluster

Today, at least 1,300 students attend Colonia High School, and they are very anxious and concerned about the test results. Many residents, including the mayor, who lives just a few blocks away from Colonia High School, are also concerned for the health and safety of their families.

According to Daily Mail, glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme, is a very aggressive cancer and could lead to death within six months if the patient does not seek intervention. The initial symptoms of this rare brain cancer include persistent headaches, double vision, loss of appetite, vomiting, changes in mood, seizures, and the gradual onset of problems with speech.  

About 15,000 adult Americans are diagnosed with rare brain cancer every year. Glioblastoma stage IV, which was what Lupiano's sister had, is the most aggressive form.  

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