Night work could promote cancer
Work when others are sleeping – counts for nurses, Assembly line workers, or flight attendants to everyday life. For the body is not only distressing, because he will have to fight against the fatigue. Night-time work may also increase the risk of cancer, according to the International Agency for research on cancer (IARC) after a review of all major studies on the subject.
The Agency of the world health organization confirmed an assessment from the year 2007, also at that time, she had considered night work as probably carcinogenic. Nevertheless, many questions remain still open.
What the assessment says?
The IARC assigns it to night work in the group 2A. Thus, it is considered “probably carcinogenic”. In this category, among other things also the plant protection product, glyphosate, or the consumption of red meat, but also work as a hairdresser and the intensive contact with hair fall dyes.
The IARC rating but only whether a substance or a life circumstance can, in principle, increase the risk of cancer. They are not a rating of how often this happens or how intense a person needs to be exposed to the substance or the terms and conditions, the cancer risk rises.
“How big is the influence of night work on cancer risk, this assessment is not clear,” says Hajo Zeeb, head of the Department of prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for prevention research and epidemiology in Bremen, Germany, was involved in the IARC classification.
According to vague the result is. The IARC explained that there is “limited evidence” that night work could lead to tumors in breast, prostate and bowel. A safe detection of missing accordingly. As safe cancer-causing, the Agency considers, among other things, the consumption of alcohol, sausage, or ham.
How safe is it then at all that night work increases the risk of cancer?
“It was in many Parts quite controversial, discussion of the scientific data on the topic of,” says Zeeb, the part of this Commission of experts was. “Some newer studies have found no link between night shift work and cancer, other showed, in turn, convincing risks. And the classification of the biological findings is highly complicated.”
What other health consequences can have night work?
Even if the results for cancer risk are not clear-cut That the constant change of working hours is a burden on the body, is considered to be safe. Studies suggest a connection between the layer services, and high blood pressure, shift work and risk of myocardial Infarction, and shift work sleep disorders, and shift work, and Obesity.
What can be done by shift-workers in order to protect themselves?
Can be helpful, the everyday life rhythm as far as possible to adapt. Who goes around in a late shift, was supposed to go the night before to bed a little later, if at all possible. You can find more tips here.
How many people in Germany are affected by night working?
In Germany in 2016, worked according to the Federal Agency for employment protection and working medicine (BAUA), around seven percent of the employees in a rotating shift with night work or permanent night. Men are significantly more likely to be in the night shift working than women. In addition, qualified people are working low, therefore, much more frequently at night than Employees of medium and high education groups.
