Employers in Denmark have begun paying compensation to women who have developed breast cancer after long spells working night shifts. Thirty-eight eight women have so far received payments via their employers' insurance companies. It follows a conclusion by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organisation, that night work is probably carcinogenic to humans.
One of those who has been compensated, Ulla Mahnkopf, developed breast cancer after 30 years working as a flight attendant, a job where night shifts were the norm. Dr Vincent Cogliano, Head of the IARC Monographs Program, said that the evidence in humans is limited to breast cancer because researchers have historically studied nurses and flight attendants. Cogliano said he would like to see studies carried out on different types of workers in other industrial settings.
For years there has been growing evidence that night shifts are bad for you. It is thought that night work can disrupt the circadian system, which can alter sleep patterns, suppress melatonin production, and affect genes involved in tumor development. In the UK, it is estimated that about 20% of the national workforce is involved in night shifts and experts and union leaders have said the government should be doing more to tackle the dangers.
Professor Andrew Watterson, an occupational health specialist at Stirling University, said we are far behind Scandinavia in recognising the dangers. He commented, "I think we can say there is a big public health problem here.
However, the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE), chief medical officer Dr John Osmond said, "The HSE has been very on the ball in this area and has commissioned a very eminent epidemiologist to examine the risk of working at night and whether there is any link to breast cancer. This report will be completed in 2011."
