Night work cancer link


There is an increased risk of cancer for workers who carry out night or shift work, a review has concluded.


Researchers from Sichuan University, China reviewed 61 studies on the effects of night work on the health of women published between 1996 and 2017. The long-term risk of breast cancer increases by 32%, that of skin cancer by 41%, and that of gastrointestinal cancers by 18%. The risk of breast cancer increases by 3.3% for every five years of night work, with nurses the worst affected occupation.


Meanwhile, a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health found that male workers carrying out shift or night work have a higher risk of contracting prostate cancer. 


www.etui.org/Topics/Health-Safety-working-conditions/News-list/New-studies-confirm-the-carcinogenic-effects-of-night-work