A hospital in Newton, Massachusetts, is investigating after five nurses who work on the same floor developed brain tumors. In total, 11 employees from the fifth-floor maternity unit reported health concerns, with five being diagnosed with benign brain tumors, two of which were meningiomas, the most common type. The hospital conducted an investigation in collaboration with government health and safety officials, ruling out environmental risks such as disposable masks, water supply, nearby x-rays, and chemotherapy treatments on the floor below. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the union representing nurses at the hospital, plans to continue investigating independently to ensure a thorough examination of the situation. The hospital’s statement about there being no environmental risk has been challenged by the union, which believes that the hospital’s testing was not comprehensive. While a state agency and federal occupational health and safety officials were unable to provide conclusive information, the American Cancer Society notes that cancer clusters require the same type of cancer in the same area with the same cause affecting a greater number of people than expected. The society also emphasizes that cancer occurrences are relatively common in the United States, with nearly 4 out of 10 people developing cancer in their lifetime.
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