breast cancer recognized as an occupational disease

For 28 years, a former nurse at the Sarreguemines hospital (Moselle) worked, often at night. She did recognize the existence of a link between her work and the breast cancer from which she suffers. During her career, she worked 873 times on the night shift. This criterion has been retained by medical experts to qualify this cancer as an occupational disease, with working hours changing from one day to the next.

Other cases reclassified as an occupational disease?

Staggered schedules weaken the body’s defenses and prevent the development of melatonin, an anti-cancer hormone. “Night work disrupts the internal clocks that regulate cell metabolism. And that, as we know, promotes the appearance of cancer. It’s not an occasional exposure that can cause cancer“, explains Dr Damien Mascret, doctor, journalist France Télévisions. This decision could pave the way for the requalification of other cases.