UPDATE: Number of nurses with brain cancer working in the ward mentioned below has climbed to alleged 16.
Six nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital – vaccinated with mRNA shots – were diagnosed with brain tumors within the same 2-year period. Be sure to read to the bottom to get the full picture of what could have caused this.
Coincidence?
The affected nurses work on the fifth-floor maternal care ward of the hospital. One nurse who spoke anonymously to CBS Boston expressed concerns: “It’s getting to the point where the number just increases, and you start saying am I crazy thinking this. This can’t just be a coincidence”
They investigated themselves
“After we became aware of reported brain tumors 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.”
The hospital’s investigation concluded: “The investigation found no environmental risks which could be linked to the development of a brain tumor.” See below for some likely environmental risks the investigation seemed to miss or dismiss.
Were these nurses vaccinated?
Given Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s mandate and high compliance, it seems likely these nurses were vaccinated. The vaccines used were predominantly Pfizer and Moderna, both mRNA types. A browse of the hospital’s vaccine information page did not specify the type, but given the timeline, mRNA vaccines were standard (Newton-Wellesley Hospital vaccine information).
Probability of these cancers being mere coincidence?
How probable is it that these six nurses would all get cancer within a 2-year period? Brain tumors are rare, with an incidence rate of about 20 per 100,000 per year for primary brain tumors. Assuming ward size of 30 nurses over 2 years (60 nurse-years), the expected number of cases is approximately 0.012, far below six. This suggests the cluster is statistically significant.
To be fair, the hospital investigating itself for environmental issues could have “overlooked” something
Some possible environmental causes include:
– Nitrous oxide exposure, with one Reddit user noting: “after a brief internet search, there is some clear evidence that exposure to high levels of nitrates is associated with increased risk of developing brain cancers”
– CMV (cytomegalovirus) exposure, with one user commenting: “The ONE thing that links preterm labor(maternal fetal medicine) and gliomas is CMV”
– Environmental factors in the Wellesley area, with one commenter claiming: “My family and I firmly believe there is a cancer cluster in Wellesley.”
