Massachusetts brain tumor cluster: Nurses not satisfied with Newton-Wellesley study

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on May 29, 2025

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BOSTON — A nurses’ union isn’t satisfied with a Mass General Brigham investigation that found the brain tumor cluster at Newton-Wellesley Hospital is not connected to working conditions.

The hospital has identified six nurses who have worked on the facility’s fifth-floor maternity unit and reported benign (non-cancerous) brain tumors “occurring over many years,” according to President Ellen A. Moloney.

“An ongoing investigation has found no evidence that these medical conditions were caused by the work environment,” Moloney wrote in a letter to the Newton-Wellesley hospital community earlier this week. She emphasized that Mass General Brigham’s Department of Occupational Health and Safety’s analysis is still taking place.

“Based on the results of this rigorous ongoing investigation,” Moloney wrote in the update on Tuesday, “we can assure you that no environmental risks have been identified at our hospital.”

In response to Moloney’s update, the Massachusetts Nurses Association said in a statement that it does not believe the “testing presented so far is definitive.”

The MNA’s division of health and safety, consisting of occupational health nurses, also launched its own investigation, which remains in progress. The union has said the hospital’s environmental testing was not comprehensive.

“We are discussing next steps with the hospital,” the union said in a statement, “including sharing the results of our inquiry and bringing in an independent expert to review the situation.”

Moloney’s update came after another former nurse at Newton-Wellesley Hospital reported earlier this month of being diagnosed with a brain tumor, bringing the reported case count up to seven.

The nurses diagnosed with brain tumors have worked in the maternal care labor/delivery unit on the hospital’s fifth floor at some point.

Site visits from the state Department of Public Health and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in April found no issue with working conditions and environmental factors at Newton-Wellesley, according to reports from the agencies that accompanied Moloney’s update.

State officials noted that a site visit included observing “radiation surveys throughout the facility, and a record review of x-ray equipment calibration and maintenance logs.” Only one staffer who has reported a brain tumor diagnosis has spoken with DPH, the agency noted.

“DPH was not able to confirm or deny the diagnoses of brain tumors or other health conditions in other staff since no other staff have responded to DPH’s offer to discuss their concerns,” the agency stated.

DPH added that “most brain tumors develop for no apparent reason and are not associated with specific risk factors,” and that “typical latency after exposure is estimated to be 10-50 years.”

“While there has been a great deal of misinformation shared on social media and in other forums, we want to make sure you have the facts,” Moloney stated in her update.

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