Massachusetts nurse brain tumor cluster: Newton-Wellesley Hospital confirms another self-reported case
Another former nurse at Newton-Wellesley Hospital has reportedly been diagnosed with a brain tumor, the hospital has confirmed.
This seventh reported tumor case on the fifth floor maternity wing of the Mass General Brigham facility comes as officials continue to assure staff and patients that “the environment is safe.”
The nurses diagnosed with brain tumors have worked in the maternal care labor/delivery unit on the hospital’s fifth floor at some point. The brain tumor cases are all benign (non-cancerous).
“We were recently made aware of this additional self-reported case of a former staff member’s benign brain tumor,” a hospital spokesperson said in a statement on Friday, following a report from Boston.com on the seventh case.
When the hospital initially reported that five nurses had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, the hospital said the only type of tumor that had more than one case was meningioma.
This seventh nurse has a right frontal lobe meningioma, according to the Boston.com report.
After hospital officials learned of the reported brain tumors, they conducted an investigation with the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Newton-Wellesley Safety Officer, radiation and pharmaceutical safety offices, and external environmental consultants.
“The health and wellbeing of our staff, clinicians, and patients is our top priority and we continue to evaluate any and all information provided to us,” the hospital spokesperson said in Friday’s statement.
“As we’ve stated before, we have conducted a thorough investigation into our environment after reports of brain tumors in individuals who have worked in our labor and delivery and post-partum care units at some point over the past 23 years,” the spokesperson added. “Based on these findings, we are confident that the environment is safe.”
Staff members have raised several concerns about this cluster of cases. The hospital has addressed questions about whether brain tumor cases can be related to: wearing masks during the pandemic, the drinking water, use of x-rays, or the pharmacy on the floor below.
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The Massachusetts Nurses Association’s division of health and safety, consisting of occupational health nurses, is investigating the situation. The union has said the hospital’s environmental testing was not comprehensive.
A union spokesperson said in a statement on Friday, “We are finalizing our investigation in anticipation of sharing the results with the hospital.”
