An investigation is underway at a Boston area hospital involving five nurses who worked in the same department and developed brain tumors.
Mass General Brigham Newton Wellesley Hospital reported a total of 11 employees in the fifth floor obstetrics department have raised health concerns, with five of them being diagnosed with benign brain tumors. Two of these tumors are meningiomas, the most common and benign types of brain tumors.
“The investigation did not find any environmental risks associated with the development of brain tumors,” said hospital administrator Jonathan Sonis, in a statement alongside Associate Nurse Sandy Muse Jonathan Sonis.
The hospital conducted the investigation in collaboration with government health and safety officials, ruling out disposable masks, water supplies, nearby X-rays, and chemotherapy treatments as possible sources of the issue.
“Based on these findings, we can assure our staff and patients that there are no environmental risks within our facilities,” the administrator assured.
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The Massachusetts Nurse Association, currently negotiating nurse compensation at the hospital, expressed their commitment to ongoing investigation.
The union highlighted nurses’ concerns about workplace health, leading to the discovery of individuals with tumors.
“The hospital’s environmental tests were not comprehensive, and they only spoke to a few nurses,” stated MNA spokesman Joe Markman. “The hospital cannot sweep this issue under the rug.”
The state agency and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are yet to provide conclusive information on the matter.
According to the American Cancer Society, a cancer cluster would involve an unusually high number of cancer cases within a specific area sharing common characteristics.
“Four out of ten people in the US develop cancer during their lifetime,” stated the association, emphasizing the frequency of cancer occurrences.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
