Does Your Job Cause Cancer?
Remember the days when smoking wasn't linked to cancer? At first, it was un-thought (and unheard) of, then it was invariably presumed, then it was proved. Well, get this: graveyard shift work is now considered a "probable" carcinogen. And the proof is already mounting.
This month, the World Health Organization's cancer division will classify shift work as a probable carcinogen - just like anabolic steroids, ultraviolet radiation, and diesel engine exhaust. (Following suit, the American Cancer Society said it would most likely add shift work to its list of "known and probable carcinogens" as well.)
Scary? It think so. In a fast-paced world that demands shift work in numerous industries, millions - billions perhaps - could be affected globally. About 20 percent of the working population in developed countries work night shifts.
Shift work is working in blocks of time periods that typically rotate in 8-hour "shifts" around a 24-hour clock. Generally speaking, the morning shift is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the evening shift is 4 p.m. to midnight; and the "graveyard" shift - the worst of the bunch - is midnight to 8 a.m. In many companies that operate 24-hour facilities, employees work one shift for a few days or weeks, and then take on a new shift so everyone gets to cover the different types of shifts over that 24-hour period. It's not easy being a shift worker, and if you qualify as one, then you know exactly what I mean.
While it's possible for a shift worker to become totally adjusted and biologically aligned with any single shift, be it the regular day shift or the graveyard shift, most shift workers are at the mercy of rotating shifts that disrupt their rhythms. Or they break their rhythms on the weekends or on days off when they finally get a chance to catch up with their families.
Shift workers typically have two hours less sleep than other workers, and as a result, they have more problems with diabetes, psychological problems, divorce, and all kinds of health problems. At the heart of the reasoning behind this strange connection between shift work and cancer is how our bodies naturally produce melatonin at night, which has powerful anti-cancer capabilities. People who work odd hours and accept a less-than-optimal light/dark rhythm disrupt their bodies' melatonin production.
This news about shift work's negative impact on one's risk for cancer is not new. Dr. Eva S. Schernhammer has performed landmark studies showing a relationship - particularly in healthy women in their thirties.
It all started in Vienna where Dr. Schernhammer worked rotating night shifts in a cancer ward from 1992 to 1999. She had to pull 10 all-nighters a month in addition to her regular hours. When she arrived at Harvard Medical School three years later, she curiously tapped into medical, work, and lifestyle records of nearly 79,000 nurses and discovered that nurses who'd worked 30 or more years on night shifts had a 36 percent higher rate of breast cancer, compared to those who'd worked only day shifts. In fact, her fellow female night owls exhibited a 48 percent rise in breast cancer. Blind women, on the other hand, had a 50 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, compared to their seeing counterparts. Other ongoing studies confirm this astonishing link. Animals, for instance, who have their light-dark schedules switched grow more cancerous tumors and die quicker.
Bear in mind that exposure to light at night may rise the risk of several types of cancer - not just breast. This also underscores the profound impact that light has on our systems, notably our ability to fight diseases like cancer. And light from a buzzing fluorescent bulb in an office or hospital isn't the only guilty party; working on the computer, watching TV, or even reading under a bright lamp late at night might be enough to alter the biomechanics of your body.
So what's a shift worker to do? I offer my patients a few tips:
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: sleep, cancer, shift work
This month, the World Health Organization's cancer division will classify shift work as a probable carcinogen - just like anabolic steroids, ultraviolet radiation, and diesel engine exhaust. (Following suit, the American Cancer Society said it would most likely add shift work to its list of "known and probable carcinogens" as well.)
Scary? It think so. In a fast-paced world that demands shift work in numerous industries, millions - billions perhaps - could be affected globally. About 20 percent of the working population in developed countries work night shifts.
Shift work is working in blocks of time periods that typically rotate in 8-hour "shifts" around a 24-hour clock. Generally speaking, the morning shift is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the evening shift is 4 p.m. to midnight; and the "graveyard" shift - the worst of the bunch - is midnight to 8 a.m. In many companies that operate 24-hour facilities, employees work one shift for a few days or weeks, and then take on a new shift so everyone gets to cover the different types of shifts over that 24-hour period. It's not easy being a shift worker, and if you qualify as one, then you know exactly what I mean.
While it's possible for a shift worker to become totally adjusted and biologically aligned with any single shift, be it the regular day shift or the graveyard shift, most shift workers are at the mercy of rotating shifts that disrupt their rhythms. Or they break their rhythms on the weekends or on days off when they finally get a chance to catch up with their families.
Shift workers typically have two hours less sleep than other workers, and as a result, they have more problems with diabetes, psychological problems, divorce, and all kinds of health problems. At the heart of the reasoning behind this strange connection between shift work and cancer is how our bodies naturally produce melatonin at night, which has powerful anti-cancer capabilities. People who work odd hours and accept a less-than-optimal light/dark rhythm disrupt their bodies' melatonin production.
This news about shift work's negative impact on one's risk for cancer is not new. Dr. Eva S. Schernhammer has performed landmark studies showing a relationship - particularly in healthy women in their thirties.
It all started in Vienna where Dr. Schernhammer worked rotating night shifts in a cancer ward from 1992 to 1999. She had to pull 10 all-nighters a month in addition to her regular hours. When she arrived at Harvard Medical School three years later, she curiously tapped into medical, work, and lifestyle records of nearly 79,000 nurses and discovered that nurses who'd worked 30 or more years on night shifts had a 36 percent higher rate of breast cancer, compared to those who'd worked only day shifts. In fact, her fellow female night owls exhibited a 48 percent rise in breast cancer. Blind women, on the other hand, had a 50 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, compared to their seeing counterparts. Other ongoing studies confirm this astonishing link. Animals, for instance, who have their light-dark schedules switched grow more cancerous tumors and die quicker.
Bear in mind that exposure to light at night may rise the risk of several types of cancer - not just breast. This also underscores the profound impact that light has on our systems, notably our ability to fight diseases like cancer. And light from a buzzing fluorescent bulb in an office or hospital isn't the only guilty party; working on the computer, watching TV, or even reading under a bright lamp late at night might be enough to alter the biomechanics of your body.
So what's a shift worker to do? I offer my patients a few tips:
- If your shifts have to rotate, request that they rotate clockwise - from day to night to graveyard - instead of the reverse. It's much easier to adapt to a clockwise rotation than a counterclockwise one, which, unfortunately, is how many places conduct shift work.
- Get a dark night's sleep no matter what time it is. Schedule your sleep time and set strict rules - turn off your phones, televisions, and sleep in your bedroom.
- Form a support group out of your own family. Tell them your needs and be attentive to their needs as well.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: sleep, cancer, shift work
2 Comments:
I'm a RN and I work 2 12 hour shifts per week at night. I have heard of this before but I'm not an early morning riser and our hospital no longer has 8 hour shifts, meaning no evening shift. I can't quit so I guess I'll just adjust my life style to mitigate the chances of cancer
I work nights as a security officer in a casino. The Casino could not run without night shifts, but I have noticed a lot of our night shift workers become sick more often then the day crew. Including myself. I feel stressed and it is hard to come across a good 8 hrs of sleep any more. But it is the only job around so I guess I'll take my chances.
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