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11.30.2007

Working the Night Shift Causes Cancer?

Does working graveyard lead to an early grave? That's kind of what this study indicates. Although we're still in the early stages here. It is interesting reading for all you noc shift nurses out there.

The higher cancer rates don't prove working overnight can cause
cancer. There may be other factors common among graveyard shift workers
that raise their risk for cancer.
However, scientists suspect
that overnight work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian
rhythm, the body's biological clock. The hormone melatonin, which can
suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night.
If
the graveyard shift theory eventually proves correct, millions of
people worldwide could be affected. Experts estimate that nearly 20
percent of the working population in developed countries work night
shifts.




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