Night shift a 'probable' carcinogen: WHO

Graveyard shifts could put workers in the grave

The graveyard shift seems to be living up to its name.

Based on research that has found higher rates of breast and prostate cancer in women and men who work the night shift, the World Health Organization is adding overnight shift work to the list of probable carcinogens.

The long list of probable carcinogens includes UV rays, inorganic lead compounds, anabolic steroids and diesel exhaust fumes. The "probable" tag means the link to cancer is merely plausible, not proven.

While the higher cancer rates don't prove working the night shift causes cancer, scientists suspect overnight work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian rhythm — the body's biological clock.

The hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumour development, is usually produced at night. Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels.

Experts estimate that nearly 20 per cent of the working population in developed countries work the night shift.

Workers can offset some of the negative effects of night-shift work by going to sleep in a darkened room as soon as they get home, Richard Stevens, a cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center, told the Toronto Star.

"The balance between light and dark is very important for your body. Just get a dark night's sleep," said Stevens.

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