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Men who work a rotating shift pattern may be at increased risk of prostate cancer, research suggests. Japanese scientists found that staff working rotating shifts were three times as likely to develop the disease as those working day or night shifts. The University of Occupational and Environmental Health study of more than 14,000 workers also found that night shift workers were at a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer, compared with those who only worked days. The researchers, writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, speculate the key may be reduced secretion of the hormone melatonin, which the body uses to induce sleep. Henry Scowcroft, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: “There have been several previous reports that disturbances to natural body rhythms might be linked to cancer, and this report adds to that evidence.” He added, however: "There is a long way to go before we can say for sure whether sleep disturbance is linked to prostate cancer."
Cancer Research UK's website says “most known occupational carcinogens are either banned or well regulated within the UK”, a statement which has been criticised by workplace safety campaigners. They say even asbestos only became the subject of a total ban in 1999, and most of the 50 plus known or probable occupational carcinogens are subject to just the basic legal controls afforded to other hazards. A report in Hazards Magazine last year warned that Cancer Research UK was under-estimating workplace risks and said evidence suggests occupational cancer could be responsible for between two and four times the official Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimate of 6,000 deaths a year.
Source: Hazards
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