Most Americans will spend a third of their lives at work. It’s a significant amount of time. Many of us would like to work with people we enjoy. We want to do work that is important to us. But most importantly, we want to work in an environment where we know we are safe in every way possible: physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Sadly, the nurses in a Massachusetts maternity ward are not feeling that safety. Over the years, several nurses in this department have developed brain tumors.
Some of the tumors are benign, some are cancerous.
One woman, who preferred not to be identified, said that 10 nurses in the maternity ward at Newton-Wellesley Hospital developed different types of brain tumors over several years, CBS News reports. These women are both current and former employees. She was one of them.
Some of the tumors have been benign, others cancerous. Either way, the nurses think the prevalence of these tumors is more than coincidence and should be taken seriously.
“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.”
One nurse would like more from the hospital.
The woman says that of the 10 women who have developed tumors, three have had surgery. She doesn’t believe the hospital has 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.”
In response, the hospital confirmed it has been conducting an investigation since December. Investigators interviewed eight nurses, five of whom had benign brain tumors.
The hospital conducted an investigation.
Following the investigation, the hospital sent a statement detailing its findings. The hospital claimed that after it learned of the tumors, it investigated with the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, the hospital’s own safety officer, radiation, and pharmaceutical safety offices. The hospital also worked with 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,” the statement reads.
The investigation found no environmental risk factors.
“The investigation found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor,” the statement continued. “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.”
‘Nurses are scared’ the anonymous woman said.
This is not enough for the nurses, who are now requesting an independent investigation. “I think the concern is [that] we don’t know what it is,” Paula Ward of the Massachusetts Nurse Association said, “and nurses are scared, they’re worried, and they want to make sure they’re not working in an unsafe place.” For the anonymous nurse, a part of the issue has been a perceived lack of transparency. “I think the nurses should be the first people — because we’re the ones that brought it to their attention — to be told, and we feel like we have been the last to be informed on anything,’ she said.
