A hospital has spoken out after five nurses who worked on the same floor were all diagnosed with benign tumors.
Mass General Brigham Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, has launched an investigation after 11 employees from its fifth-floor maternity unit reported experiencing health issues.
Five of the employees were diagnosed with benign tumors; three of which are reportedly brain tumors and two of which are meningiomas.
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A benign tumor is 'a noncancerous collection of cells' which is 'slow-growing' and doesn't spread to other areas of the body.
While it doesn't cause symptoms, 'a large benign tumor may press on nearby tissue and organs', and treatment uses surgery to remove it, Cleveland Clinic explains.
A meningioma 'is the most common type of tumor that forms in the head,' Mayo Clinic notes.
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A meningioma 'grows from the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges' and Mayo Clinic adds 'a meningioma is not a brain tumor, but it may press on the nearby brain, nerves and vessels'.
What the hospital said
Mass General Brigham’s Newton-Wellesley Hospital said in a statement, as quoted by the Daily Star: "After we became aware of reported brain tumours 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.
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"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 tumour."
The hospital administrators added (via NBC News): "Based on these results, we can confidently reassure our dedicated team ... and all our patients that there is no environmental risk at our facility."
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And the nurses' union at the hospital has since addressed the investigation too.
What the union said
The union said a group of nurses had concerns about the workplace health and so came forward to air their worries which is when it was uncovered that some had tumors.
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A spokesperson for Massachusetts Nurses Association, Joe Markman, said: "Right now, the best way we can help is to complete an independent, scientific investigation."
Markman claims the hospital 'only spoke to a small number of nurses' and its 'environmental testing was not comprehensive'.
"The hospital cannot make this issue go away by attempting to provide a predetermined conclusion," he added.
He also noted the 'effort' for an independent investigation is 'underway' and 'may take additional weeks'.
UNILAD has contacted Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Massachusetts Nurses Association for comment.
Poppy Bilderbeck