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."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Addressing Partial Treatment Response in MDD Patients
About one third of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) achieve only a partial response to antidepressant therapy. This often leaves them with symptoms that could lead to an inability to enjoy life, poor work and cognitive performance, impairment in psychosocial activities, and even suicidal ideation. Dr George Papakostas, from Harvard Medical School, discusses the option of adjunctive therapy to improve symptom control for these patients. He details how atypical antipsychotic drugs such as aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, cariprazine, olanzapine, and quetiapine can be added to antidepressant therapy to better control symptoms. The VAST-D study, he reports, showed that use of an atypical antipsychotic as adjunctive therapy was found to be superior to switching antidepressants in patients who had not experienced sufficient symptom improvement with antidepressant therapy alone. Dr Papakostas also explains how combining antidepressants such as bupropion and mirtazapine can sometimes be an effective strategy in certain patients who have partial response to antidepressant monotherapy.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Gun Deaths of Children Rose in States That Loosened Gun Laws, Study Finds
Firearm deaths of children and teenagers rose significantly in states that enacted more permissive gun laws after the Supreme Court in 2010 limited local governments' ability to restrict gun ownership, a new study has found. In states that maintained stricter laws, firearm deaths were stable after the ruling, the researchers reported, and in some, they even declined. Guns are the leading cause of death in the United States for people under 18. Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency room doctor at Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital in Boston, who was the study's lead author, said he was dismayed to find that most of the children's deaths were homicides and suicides. 'It's surprising how few of these are accidents,' Dr. Faust said. 'I always thought that a lot of pediatric mortality from guns is that somebody got into the wrong place, and I still think safe storage is important, but it's mostly homicides and suicides.' The study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, examined the 13-year period after the June 2010 Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment, which protects an individual's right to bear arms, applies to state and local gun-control laws. The decision effectively limited the ability of state and local governments to regulate firearms. The researchers classified states into three categories based on their gun laws: most permissive, permissive and strict. They used a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database to analyze firearm mortality trends from 1999 to 2010 — before the Supreme Court ruling — and compared them with the 13-year period afterward. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Business Wire
5 hours ago
- Business Wire
Avanzanite Announces Pan-European Partnership with Agios to Launch PYRUKYND ® in Rare Blood Disorders
AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avanzanite Bioscience B.V. ('Avanzanite'), a fast-growing commercial-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing rare disease medicines to patients across Europe, announced today an exclusive agreement with Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: AGIO), a Boston-based biotech company focused on the development and commercialization of rare disease medicines. Under the agreement, Avanzanite will commercialize and distribute PYRUKYND® (mitapivat) across the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland. 'This partnership marks a major milestone in our mission to transform how rare disease therapies reach patients in Europe' Share 'This partnership marks a major milestone in our mission to transform how rare disease therapies reach patients in Europe,' said Adam Plich, Founder and CEO of Avanzanite. 'We provide biotech partners with a capital-efficient path to sustainable patient access – without the burden of building a costly local infrastructure. We look forward to working with Agios to help bring PYRUKYND® to patients across Europe, further advancing our efforts to set a new benchmark for biotech commercial and distribution partnerships in the region. This is just the beginning.' PYRUKYND®, a first-in-class, oral, pyruvate kinase (PK) activator, is approved by the European Commission and the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of adult patients with PK deficiency. PK deficiency is an ultra-rare, inherited condition that causes premature red blood cell breakdown, leading to chronic anemia, serious complications, and reduced quality of life. Until recently, there were no approved treatments. Agios also has a robust mid- and late-stage pipeline, with clinical programs focused on other rare diseases, including thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The partnership also includes potential future indications. Avanzanite is rapidly scaling its operations, having tripled its revenue in Q1 2025 year-over-year, with two rare disease medicines already on the market. Over the next 12 months, the company will expand into 32 European countries, including new territories of Italy, France, the UK, Romania, and Spain. 'Avanzanite goes truly pan-European,' concluded Plich. 'And as we expand across the continent, our promise stays the same – making sure no patient is left behind.' About Avanzanite Avanzanite is redefining launches of rare disease medicines across Europe. Founded in 2022 and based in Amsterdam, the company partners with biotech innovators to unlock the full commercial value of orphan medicines continent-wide. With our deep expertise in market access, we navigate Europe's complex landscape like master chess players – ensuring no patient is left behind. Learn more at
