Multiple nurses working on the same floor of busy hospital develop brain tumors
At least five nurses working on the same floor of a Boston-area hospital have been diagnosed with brain tumors, and they're looking for answers.
The nurse's union at the hospital, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), told Fox News Digital in a statement that it is actively supporting nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, "who have brought forward serious medical concerns, focused on brain tumor diagnoses on the 5th floor maternity unit."
"We recognize that nurses and many other people want immediate information about the situation," the MNA continued. "This urgency comes from a place of concern for the health of nurses, their families, and patients — an urgency that we share."
The MNA further said it is working to "complete an independent, scientific investigation" into the diagnoses.
"That effort is underway and may take additional weeks," the MNA said. "The investigation is being conducted by the MNA’s division of health and safety, consisting of occupational health nurses, in collaboration with the Newton-Wellesley nurses."
In addition, the nurses' union said it has received more than 300 survey responses, emails and phone calls from current and former nurses, as well as other current and former hospital employees, regarding their health concerns.
Newton-Wellesely reportedly conducted its own exam in December and found that through April, 11 staff members who worked, at some point and to varying degrees, on the fifth floor of the hospital, had been interviewed by the hospital's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), according to a memo obtained by Boston.com.
The hospital determined that five cases were benign brain tumors of three different types, and six cases were determined not to be brain tumors at all but other health concerns, according to the memo.
The investigation further "found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor," Jonathan Sonis, associate chief medical officer, and Sandy Muse, chief nursing officer, said in a statement to Boston.com.
"Based on these results, we can confidently reassure our dedicated team members at Mass General Brigham/Newton-Wellesley Hospital and all our patients that there is no environmental risk at our facility," the statement continued. "As always, the health and wellbeing of our staff, clinicians, and patients is our absolute top priority."
The OHS review did find that there were 668 X-rays performed with portable machines on the fifth floor of Newton-Wellesley between 2020 and 2024, doubling the risk of radiation exposure compared to normal daily radiation exposure for nurses standing approximately one meter from the machine, according to Boston.com.
"Even if a staff member had been present for all of these X-rays, however, they would not have absorbed this much exposure (i.e., one meter from the machine) as we utilize appropriate X-ray safety techniques throughout the hospital," the memo obtained by the outlet states.
Newton-Wellesley did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.
The MNA said it is working with the hospital, which it says "only spoke to a small number of nurses and their environmental testing was not comprehensive."
"The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion," the MNA added. "While we currently cannot release specific numbers or other diagnosis information, we are committed to being transparent about our findings when we have finished verifying the information we collect.
"Completing this step-by-step process is critical to providing the support Newton-Wellesley nurses deserve."