NEWTON, Mass. — 25 Investigates has obtained two completed health reports looking into the safety of the environment at Newton-Wellesley Hospital after multiple nurses reported benign brain tumors.
25 Investigates first reported in April that Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the Massachusetts Nurses Association were investigating after multiple nurses came forward with brain tumor diagnoses.
A seventh nurse, Debbie Connolly, 58, recently reported her diagnosis. She told Boston 25 News she went on medical leave after experiencing unexplained balance issues, memory lapses, and changes in her concentration. She worked on the hospital’s labor and delivery unit from 2005 to 2018, the same unit as all the nurses who reported benign brain tumor diagnoses.
“My biggest concern, when I found out, was how am I going to tell my children,” she said. “My biggest concern now is that this will remain an unanswered question.”
The hospital conducted an investigation and later the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) opened an investigation of its’ own in conjunction with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Both reports, now finalized, determined the hospital environment is safe and there’s nothing to suggest a common cause to the tumors.
The DPH report also found all radiation readings in the hospital were within regulatory limits.
The Massachusetts Nurses Association is conducting its own survey and occupational health investigation.
In a written statement, a spokesperson for the MNA said: “We do not believe the testing presented so far is definitive. The MNA’s occupational health investigation is ongoing. We are discussing next steps with the hospital, including sharing the results of our inquiry and bringing in an independent expert to review the situation.”
The Department of Public Health’s full report can be read below:
25 Investigates: Newton-Wellesley Hospital says reports show no link between tumors and environment by Boston 25 Desk on Scribd
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