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The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Six Massachusetts hospital workers on same floor report getting brain tumors
The number of staff members who have developed brain tumors while working on the same floor of a Boston-area hospital has increased to at least six, according to the facility's leadership. A recent statement attributed to the president of Mass General Brigham's Newton-Wellesley hospital, Ellen Moloney, said the newly reported tumor was benign, as were five previously documented ones. The statement maintained that investigators had not turned up any evidence of environmental risks at the hospital, though their work remained ongoing. Nonetheless, even before the number of staffers with tumors jumped, a labor union representing nurses at the hospital had pledged to press for answers. That pledge came after Newton-Wellesley hospital's leadership initially confirmed that five nurses had reported developing non-cancerous growths in their brains after having worked on the facility's fifth-floor maternity unit at some point. The sixth case – described as having been reported by a staffer rather than a nurse – was disclosed in the statement from Moloney, which the news website first reported on. An additional half-dozen staff members with experience working on the floor in question reported other health concerns that did not involve brain tumors, Newton-Wellesley officials have said. The hospital has repeatedly suggested there is no evidence to establish that the situation is anything more than a coincidence – albeit one which was unusual enough to have captured attention on the national news and social media after word about it spread. Moloney alluded to how the hospital had worked internal and governmental occupational offices while also consulting with outside environmental experts. Testing since then has examined the hospital's water, radiation levels, air quality and other factors, according to a 2 April memo from the facility. 'Based on the results of this rigorous ongoing investigation, we can assure you that no environmental risks have been identified at our hospital,' Moloney's more recent statement said. The Massachusetts Nurses Association has said it is conducting its own investigation, despite the hospital's assurances. The union argued that 'the hospital only spoke to a small number of nurses' and that the 'environmental testing was not comprehensive'. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The union told NBC10 Boston that it received more than 300 survey responses, emails, and telephone calls from nurses and other professionals working at the hospital – as well as from former employees. Union officials reportedly said: 'It will take several weeks to sort through the information … vet it and obtain follow-up, including medical records, if respondents are willing to provide them.' They also said: 'The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion.' Moloney's statement, for its part, alluded to 'a great deal of misinformation shared on social media and in other forums'. 'Health, wellbeing, and safety – along with that of our employees – remain our top priority,' Moloney's statement said. 'We want to make sure you have the facts.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Investigating claim 10 'vaccinated' nurses at Massachusetts hospital were diagnosed with brain tumors 'simultaneously'
Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, said in a statement that as of April 1, 2025, five staff who had worked on the hospital's fifth floor were diagnosed with brain tumors. The diagnoses spanned three different kinds of tumors, all noncancerous. The confirmation came after reports circulated that around 10 nurses from the hospital's fifth floor maternity unit were diagnosed with brain tumors. A widely shared online article linked the tumors to the nurses being vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Newton-Wellesley Hospital dismissed this claim, citing "government research" that COVID vaccines "are not associated with brain tumors." Some of the diagnoses predated the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, the hospital added. The hospital carried out an investigation following the diagnoses and found "no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor." The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), a union and professional association for nurses in the state, disputed these findings and said it was carrying out its own investigation, which was ongoing at the time of this writing. In late March and early April 2025, a rumor circulated online that 10 "vaccinated" nurses working at the same Massachusetts hospital were diagnosed with brain tumors "simultaneously." For example, one X user, whose March 30 post had amassed more than 257,000 views as of this writing (archived), wrote: "At Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts, a startling cluster of brain tumor diagnoses has emerged among vaccinated nurses on the fifth-floor maternal care ward. 10 longtime staff members have been affected simultaneously, sparking alarm and raising questions about a potential link between mRNA vaccines and cancer." The X post also included a screenshot of a March 29 article by a website called The People's Voice (TPV), which has repeatedly spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. The article's headline read: "10 Vaxxed Nurses at Massachusetts Hospital Diagnosed with Brain Tumors Simultaneously." Although neither the X post nor the TPV article specifically stated that the 10 nurses had been vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such claims about mRNA vaccines often refer to the COVID-19 vaccines, which TPV has written numerous false or misleading articles about. Examples of the rumor appeared on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), TikTok (archived) and Bluesky (archived). Additionally, some X posts (archived) added the claim that the nurses had all received COVID-19 vaccines. Snopes readers also emailed to ask us to check the claim. Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH) confirmed via email that five staff members who had worked on the hospital's fifth floor were diagnosed with noncancerous brain tumors. The hospital did not specify whether all five staff members were nurses. Following the diagnoses, the hospital said it had carried out an investigation into environmental risks and found none that "could be linked to the development of a brain tumor." NWH also dismissed claims that the workers' vaccine statuses were linked to their brain tumor diagnoses, saying some diagnoses predated the COVID pandemic. A local union for nurses in Massachusetts disputed the hospital's investigation and was carrying out its own at the time of this writing. Though elements of the claim were true — for example, that staff at one Massachusetts hospital were diagnosed with brain tumors — other elements, such as the connection to vaccines, were not. According to a statement sent via email, officials at NWH in Newton, Massachusetts, carried out an investigation following reports that "as many as 10 nurses" who worked on the fifth floor maternity unit were diagnosed with brain tumors. According to a Q&A document published by NWH on April 2, the hospital interviewed 11 staff who worked on the floor. Five of the staff were found to have benign (noncancerous) brain tumors, while the remaining six had "other health concerns." That investigation found "no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor" on the hospital's fifth floor, according to NWH. "Environmental risks" in this case were factors or conditions in the workplace that could cause harm to employees' health and safety. However, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), a union and professional association for nurses in the state, disputed the NWH investigation's findings, claiming in a statement sent via email that the hospital's testing was "not comprehensive." Instead, the union said it would carry out its own investigation into the cause of the diagnoses. The investigation was ongoing at the time of this writing. The March 29 TPV article claimed that the diagnoses raised concerns about "a potential link between mRNA vaccines and cancer." The article did not specify how the website supposedly knew the vaccination status of the nurses, and the outlet did not elaborate when asked to comment. Speaking about the rumor that the diagnoses were linked to the staff members being vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, NWH said via email: Regarding vaccines, NWH has completed a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation and has determined that the hospital environment is safe. The evaluation included testing for radiation as well as air and water testing. The government has collected substantial data about Covid vaccines, and the vaccines are not associated with brain tumors. It's also important to note that some of the 5 diagnoses pre-date the pandemic. We also asked the MNA about the vaccination claim. Joe Markman, the union's associate director of public communications, said: The MNA represents 25,000 nurses in 85 facilities statewide. Almost all of our members were required to take the COVID-19 vaccine, but we are only experiencing this situation on the 5th floor at NWH. It is also worth noting that TPV's article claimed that 10 nurses were diagnosed with brain tumors, while NWH confirmed just five cases, all noncancerous. According to the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. government's principal agency for cancer research, environmental exposures can damage DNA and cause cancer. Such exposures include "chemicals in tobacco smoke, or radiation, such as ultraviolet rays from the sun." The NWH's investigation looked at environmental exposures, including radiation from X-ray machinery and chemotherapy drugs handled at the hospital's fourth floor pharmacy, to assess whether they could have caused the brain tumors. The investigation also considered risks from wearing and reusing personal protective equipment like masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and found "no scientific evidence" linking the wearing of masks to brain tumors. The investigation concluded that there were "no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor" at the hospital, according to a statement sent via email and attributed to Jonathan Sonis, NWH associate chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs, and Sandy Muse, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of patient care services. The statement from NWH read: 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 provided the MNA with the test results from the investigation, including those of several external environmental firms. The hospital's Q&A document, titled, "Fifth Floor Work Environment FAQs," further detailed the investigation. According to the document: Through 4/1/2025, 11 staff members who have worked at some point and for varying durations on the Fifth Floor have been interviewed by the OHS. 6 cases were determined not to be brain tumors but rather other health concerns. 5 cases were determined to be brain tumors of 3 different types, all of which were benign (noncancerous). The document said no further staff members had approached the hospital's occupational health service with diagnoses they thought could have resulted from working on the fifth floor. The MNA, however, did not accept the results of the NWH investigation. In a statement sent via email, Joe Markman, the union's associate director of public communications, said the hospital was attempting to provide a "predetermined conclusion": The hospital 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. 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. The union heard from more than 300 current NWH nurses, former employees and other professional disciplines at NWH for its own investigation, Markman said, and was in the process of sorting through the information it had received. In conclusion, the reasons behind the brain tumor diagnoses among staff at Newton-Wellesley Hospital's fifth floor maternity unit remain unclear. The hospital confirmed five brain tumor diagnoses in staff who worked "at some point and for varying durations" on the floor, with diagnoses dating back to before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. According to the hospital's investigation, there were no "environmental risks" linked to brain tumors present on the floor. Adl-Tabatabai, Sean. "10 Vaxxed Nurses at Massachusetts Hospital Diagnosed with Brain Tumors Simultaneously." The People's Voice, 29 Mar. 2025, Beard, McKenzie. Multiple Nurses Get Brain Tumors in the Same Hospital Unit. 4 Apr. 2025, Born, Beth Germano Emmy award-winning Beth Germano is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV News, et al. Nurses at Massachusetts Hospital Concerned about Growing Number of Cancer Cases among Staff - CBS Boston. 2 Apr. 2025, Cancer Clusters | What Is a Cancer Cluster? Accessed 7 Apr. 2025. Cancer-Causing Substances in the Environment - NCI. 18 Mar. 2015, "Cluster of Brain Tumors Discovered Among Nurses Who Worked on the Same Maternity Floor at a Boston Hospital." Accessed 7 Apr. 2025. Kasprak, Alex. 'CDC Said mRNA Jabs Have Caused a "14,000% Increase in Turbo Cancer"?' Snopes, 20 Apr. 2024, ---. 'Did Canadian Government "Admit" 74% of Triple-Vaccinated People Now Have "VAIDS"?' Snopes, 5 Oct. 2023, ---. 'White House Emails Prove Biden "Hid Deadly COVID Jab Risks from Public"?' Snopes, 28 Sept. 2023, Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital . Fifth Floor Work Environment FAQs. Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital , 2 Apr. 2025,
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Five nurses from same unit in Boston hospital diagnosed with brain tumors
Five nurses working in the same unit at a Boston-area hospital have been diagnosed with non-cancerous brain tumors, prompting them and their labor union to search for answers while the medical facility contends it has ruled out an environmental risk for workers there. According to a statement that Mass General Brigham's Newton-Wellesley hospital provided to NBC10 Boston, the five nurses either work or have previously worked in the facility's fifth-floor maternity unit. The hospital said it interviewed 11 staff members who have worked at some point on that floor as part of an investigation into the nurses and the tumors. Of them, five were diagnosed with brain tumors, all of which were benign growths, while the other six were found to have other health concerns. The hospital said it worked with internal and government occupational safety offices – and that it consulted external environmental experts. Officials at the Newton-Wellesley hospital said they gave every staff member who came forward the opportunity to be interviewed by the occupational health and safety team to evaluate their diagnoses in relation to their individual medical history and risk factors. Environmental assessments of the area which began in December 'found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor', the hospital added. In a memo, the hospital outlined that it tested the facility's water, measured radiation levels, assessed air quality and conducted other relevant evaluations. Newton-Wellesley officials said they presented their findings to 'relevant stakeholder groups, including the staff in the unit' and the union representing them, the Massachusetts Nurses Association. And it said the hospital had held forums to meet with clinical and occupational health leaders to address their questions. Additionally, the hospital said that it was providing the union with the test results from the investigation – including those of several external environmental firms. Citing its findings, the hospital added: 'We can confidently reassure our dedicated team members … 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.' However, the Massachusetts Nurses Association told NBC10 Boston that it was continuing to investigate the issue. The union has reported receiving more than 300 survey responses, emails and telephone calls from current nurses, other professionals at the hospital, and former employees. 'It will take several weeks to sort through the information received, vet it, and obtain follow-up, including medical records, if respondents are willing to provide them,' the union said. The union also maintained that 'the hospital only spoke to a small number of nurses' and that the hospital's 'environmental testing was not comprehensive'. It added: 'The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion.' According to NBC Boston, officials from Newton-Wellesley hospital are set to discuss the matter in an upcoming town hall meeting.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
5 nurses who work on the same floor at Massachusetts hospital have brain tumors
A Boston-area hospital is investigating after five nurses who have worked on the same floor have developed brain tumors. Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital said that in total, 11 employees from the fifth-floor maternity unit identified health concerns. Five had brain tumors, all of which are benign. Two of those have the most common, benign type — meningioma, according to the hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, which is about 10 miles west of Boston. 'The investigation found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor,' the hospital's Jonathan Sonis, associate chief medical officer, and Sandy Muse, chief nursing officer, said in a statement. The hospital said its investigation was completed in collaboration with government health and safety officials and it considered multiple possible sources. It ruled out disposable masks, the water supply, nearby x-rays, and chemotherapy treatment on the floor below, the hospital said. 'Based on these results, we can confidently reassure our dedicated team ... and all our patients that there is no environmental risk at our facility," the administrators said. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the union that bargains for nurses' compensation at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said it will continue to investigate. "Right now, the best way we can help is to complete an independent, scientific investigation," MNA spokesperson Joe Markman said in a statement Friday. "That effort is underway and may take additional weeks." The union indicated that nurses came forward with workplace health concerns, which led to the discovery of those with tumors. 'The hospital only spoke to a small number of nurses, and their environmental testing was not comprehensive,' he said in his statement. 'The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion.' A spokesperson for a state agency was unable to provide conclusive information on the matter by deadline. Federal occupational health and safety officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The American Cancer Society says that in order to meet the definition of a cancer cluster, occurrences must be the same type, in the same area, with the same cause, and affecting a number of people that's "greater than expected" when a baseline for occurrences is established. 'Nearly 4 out of 10 people in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes," the society said on its cancer clusters webpage. "So, it's not uncommon for several people in a relatively small area to develop cancer around the same time." This article was originally published on
NBC News
05-04-2025
- Health
- NBC News
5 nurses who work on the same floor at Massachusetts hospital have brain tumors
A Boston-area hospital is investigating after five nurses who have worked on the same floor have developed brain tumors. Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital said that in total, 11 employees from the fifth-floor maternity unit identified health concerns. Five had brain tumors, all of which are benign. Two of those have the most common, benign type — meningioma, according to the hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, which is about 10 miles west of Boston. 'The investigation found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor,' the hospital's Jonathan Sonis, associate chief medical officer, and Sandy Muse, chief nursing officer, said in a statement. The hospital said its investigation was completed in collaboration with government health and safety officials and it considered multiple possible sources. It ruled out disposable masks, the water supply, nearby x-rays, and chemotherapy treatment on the floor below, the hospital said. 'Based on these results, we can confidently reassure our dedicated team ... and all our patients that there is no environmental risk at our facility," the administrators said. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the union that bargains for nurses' compensation at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, said it will continue to investigate. "Right now, the best way we can help is to complete an independent, scientific investigation," MNA spokesperson Joe Markman said in a statement Friday. "That effort is underway and may take additional weeks." The union indicated that nurses came forward with workplace health concerns, which led to the discovery of those with tumors. 'The hospital only spoke to a small number of nurses, and their environmental testing was not comprehensive,' he said in his statement. 'The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion.' A spokesperson for a state agency was unable to provide conclusive information on the matter by deadline. Federal occupational health and safety officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The American Cancer Society says that in order to meet the definition of a cancer cluster, occurrences must be the same type, in the same area, with the same cause, and affecting a number of people that's "greater than expected" when a baseline for occurrences is established. 'Nearly 4 out of 10 people in the United States will develop cancer during their lifetimes," the society said on its cancer clusters webpage."So, it's not uncommon for several people in a relatively small area to develop cancer around the same time."
