Variations in exposure to carcinogens among shift workers and non-shift workers

Consequences of Shift Work and Night Work: A Literature Review

Nonstandard work schedules such as shift work and night work tend to trigger problems for workers in different areas. To illustrate the diversity of areas affected and the relative interest of the scientific community, we conducted a literature review of the effects of shift work and night work on workers. In particular, we intended to identify the main variables addressed in the field of health, the family sphere, and the organizational context. The literature review was carried out using the Web of Science with the following terms: "shift work", "rotating shifts", and "night work". Inclusion criteria incorporated empirical studies and articles written in Portuguese or English published in 2019. We selected 129 of the 619 articles identified. Regarding the impacts of shift work and night work, there existed a high discrepancy of focus between the three defined areas: health, family life, and organizational context. Specifically, health-related variables were the most studied (83.4%), followed by organizational variables (9.2%), and, lastly, family variables (7.4%). Based on these results, it is essential to extend the study of the two underrepresented impacts to other crucial areas, not only for the worker but also for organizations.

Prevalence of exposure to multiple occupational carcinogens among exposed workers in Australia

OBJECTIVES

Workers can be exposed to a range of different carcinogenic agents in the workplace. However, previous studies have often focused on prevalence of exposure to a single carcinogen, resulting in substantial knowledge gaps regarding the extent of multiple exposures in the workplace. This study aims to investigate the current prevalence of occupational exposure to multiple carcinogens among exposed workers in Australia.

METHODS

The data for this study come from the Australian Work Exposures Study, a nationwide cross-sectional telephone survey of Australian workers aged between 18 and 65. Information was collected about the respondents' current employment and numerous demographic factors using a web-based application (Occupational Integrated Database Exposure Assessment System) to conduct the interview, with predefined algorithms used to automatically assign exposures to carcinogens based on the respondents' job tasks.

RESULTS

The majority (81%) of exposed respondents were assessed as being probably exposed to more than one carcinogen, and 26% reported exposure to five or more carcinogens. We found that after adjusting for occupation, exposure to multiple carcinogens was more likely among male respondents, while older workers (aged between 55 and 65) were less likely to be exposed to multiple carcinogens.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides information on the prevalence of exposure to multiple carcinogens in the general population that has not previously been reported. This information could be useful for the intervention and control of occupational exposures to the prioritised carcinogens identified in this study.

Effects of work schedule and period of exposure on changes in urinary chromium and nickel excretion among rotating shift workers in a stainless-steel plant

We investigated the association between the period of exposure and changes in urinary excretion of chromium and nickel among rotating shift workers in a stainless-steel plant. The study participants were composed of two groups: the workers who were occupationally exposed to metals ("exposed group") and those who were not occupationally exposed to metals ("unexposed group"). The exposed and unexposed groups consisted of 56 and 40 male rotating shift workers, respectively. Urine samples were collected immediately before and immediately after the day shift, evening shift, and night shift. Urinary chromium and nickel were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. To correct for variations in urine dilution, urinary metal concentrations were expressed as a ratio to urinary creatinine concentration. In the exposed group, post-shift urinary excretion of chromium was significantly higher than pre-shift excretion. However, although urinary chromium excretion clearly increased after the day and night shift [63% (p < .0001) and 87% (p < .0001), respectively], urinary chromium excretion after the evening shift was only slightly higher than that measured before the evening shift (8%, p = .028). Similar patterns were found for urinary nickel excretion (p = .0001, 0.20, and 0.18 for the day, evening, and night shifts, respectively). Non-uniform urinary excretion of metals between the day shift, evening shift, and night shift were observed in the exposed group; specifically, urinary metal excretion increased only slightly during the evening shift. In the unexposed group, no significant increase or decrease was found in median urinary chromium or nickel excretion (p= .63-0.87). Work shift-specific permissible exposure level would be necessary.