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Sunday, June 25, 2006
Women who work at night more prone to getting breast cancer: health exec
FEMALES who work the whole evening are at risk of developing breast cancer, an official of the Institute of Occupation Health and Safety Development (IOHSD) said.
Noel Colina, executive director of the IOHSD, cited a study by Fred Hutchinson of the Cancer Research Center based in Seattle, Washington, USA, which showed that female workers assigned to the so-called graveyard shift face a higher risk of having breast cancer because prolonged and regular exposure to night light may affect the production of melatonin produced by the pineal glands during the night.
He added that nighttime sleep deprivation or exposure to light at night somehow interrupts melatonin production, which in turn stimulates the ovaries to produce estrogen -- a known hormonal promoter of breast cancer.
"Aside from the increased risk of breast cancer, the menstrual cycle of women are also affected by night shifts," Colina, said
With call center jobs booming in the country and more women taking the graveyard shift, usually working from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day, Colina said the risk of having breast cancer is big and is thus alarming.
Colina also said painful menstruation also known as dysmenorrhea, the absence of menstruation (amenorrhea) and heavy menstruation (menorrhagia) are conditions associated with women assigned to the graveyard shift.
He also said this is the reason why pregnant women are not allowed to work at night because it can adversely affect her health and her baby.
"Although the study isn't conclusive, it provides us pointers on how to address and protect the occupational health and safety of working women at call centers," he said.
Colina suggested that companies must provide free and regular breast cancer screening for their employees as well as seminars on how to prevent breast cancer.
Regular seminars should also be sponsored by the company promoting health and safety inside the workplace and the formation of health and safety committees, he added. (MSN/Sunnex)
(June 25, 2006 issue)
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