Nurses at Massachusetts hospital concerned about growing number of cancer cases among staff
Nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital say they're concerned about growing numbers of cancer cases among longtime nurses who have been working on a fifth-floor maternal care ward. "You're going into work every day with that feeling in your gut, and it's a lousy feeling," a nurse who doesn't want to be identified tells WBZ-TV.
She's speaking out after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and says she's not alone among her nursing colleagues. "It's getting to the point where the number just increases, and you start saying am I crazy thinking this," she said. "This can't just be a coincidence."
Nurses diagnosed with brain tumors
She claims as many as ten nurses who work on the floor have been diagnosed with different brain tumors over the last few years, some cancerous and some not. She says three have had surgery and believes the hospital has not been supportive enough.
"We want reassurance because this has not been a reassuring past few months for a lot of the staff members," she said. "We want to feel safe, the same way we want to make our patients feel safe."
The hospital confirms it has been investigating since December and has interviewed ten nurses, six of whom it says have differing brain tumors.
Hospital says "no environmental risk"
Mass General Brigham/Newton-Wellesley Hospital provided a statement to WBZ-TV saying an investigation found "no environmental risks."
"After we became aware of reported brain tumors in individuals who currently or previously had worked in the same area of the hospital, we conducted an extensive investigation in collaboration with the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Newton-Wellesley Safety Officer, radiation and pharmaceutical safety offices, and external environmental consultants.
Every staff member who came forward was given the opportunity to be interviewed by the Occupational Health and Safety team to evaluate each diagnosis in the context of their individual medical history and risk factors. To evaluate for any possible environmental exposures in that area of the hospital, comprehensive environmental assessments following CDC guidelines began in December.
The investigation found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor. We presented these findings to relevant stakeholder groups, including the staff on the unit and the Massachusetts Nursing Association, and have held forums to meet with clinical and Occupational Health leaders to answer their questions. The hospital is providing the MNA with the test results from the investigation, including those of several external environmental firms.
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. As always, the health and wellbeing of our staff, clinicians, and patients is our absolute top priority," - Jonathan Sonis, Associate Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs and Sandy Muse, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services.
