2010-07-16 11:04:50 　來源：國際線上 　編輯：陸熙堯 　

Governments and employers worldwide are set to face pressure for compensation and changes to working patterns following research suggesting night shift work may cause cancer.

研究表明，夜班工作可能導致癌症。世界各國的政府和僱主們勢必面臨要求賠償和調整工作模式的壓力。

Cancer patients' groups, researchers and trade unions are studying evidence of the link after Denmark's National Injuries Board approved compensation of up to DKr1m ($181,000, ?134,000, ?123,000) for 38 women who developed breast cancer after working one or more nights a week for at least 20 years.

丹麥國家傷害委員會(National Injuries Board)批准給予38位患乳癌的婦女最高100萬丹麥克朗（合18.1萬美元）的補償，這些婦女在至少20年內，每週上一個或多個晚上的夜班。目前，癌症患者團體、研究人員和工會紛紛著手研究二者的關聯。

A review of recent studies by the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that night work disrupted the body's circadian rhythms, inhibiting the production of melatonin, a hormone important in fighting cancer. “Shift work that involves circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic to humans,” it concluded, putting the risk at the same level as chemicals containing lead, anabolic steroids, creosote, diesel exhaust and sun lamps.

國際癌症研究機構(IARC)一份回顧了近期相關研究的報告歸納道：夜班會擾亂人體晝夜節律，抑制褪黑激素的分泌，而褪黑激素是一種具有重要抗癌作用的激素。報告的結論是：“會擾亂晝夜節律的輪班工作，可能對人體具有致癌作用。”該報告將這種工作模式列為與含鉛化學物、合成代謝類固醇、雜酚油、柴油機尾氣和日光燈等具有同等致癌風險。

Ahead of the full IARC findings to be published later this year, Australia's National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre cautioned that some studies indicated a “small increase in breast cancer risk . . . in limited groups of women . . . after 20 years or more of shift work”, findings were inconsistent and some “open to questions of bias and confounding”.

IARC的報告全文將於今年晚些時候發表。澳大利亞國家乳癌與卵巢癌中心(NBOCC)則警告稱，一些研究指出，“在數量有限的女性中……經過20年或以上的輪班工作……患乳癌風險小幅上升”，各項研究結果不一致，其中一些“可能存在偏見和混淆”。

But Grete Christensen, deputy president of the Danish Nurses' Organisation, seven of whose members won compensation, said: “Now you can be compensated for working night shifts just as if you were working with poisonous chemicals in some factory.”

丹麥護士組織(Danish Nurses' Organisation)副主任格瑞特?克裏斯騰森(Grete Christensen)表示：“如今你可以因上夜班獲得補償，就如同在某些工廠中與有毒化學物質為伍一樣。”該組織有7名成員獲得了補償。

Other European countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK are also examining looking at the link between night work and breast cancer and may move to granting compensation.

包括荷蘭、比利時和英國等其他歐洲國家也在研究夜班工作與乳癌之間的關聯，並可能提供相應補償。

The Cancer Society of Finland said a forthcoming study on work and cancer in Nordic countries would add to the evidence of a link between shift work and breast cancer in both men and women.

芬蘭癌症協會(Cancer Society of Finland)表示，一份研究北歐國家工作與癌症關係的報告即將發表，將提供更多證據，說明輪班工作與乳癌之間存在關聯，不管是男性還是女性。

Up to a fifth of employees in Europe and the US work shifts including nights. More than 30 per cent work at night in healthcare, manufacturing, mining, transport, communication and the leisure and hospitality sectors.

包括夜班在內，歐洲和美國有多達五分之一僱員輪班工作。在醫療、製造、礦業、交通、通信和娛樂住宿行業，30%以上僱員在夜班工作。

“There is sufficient evidence that night work is causing damage to men's and women's health,” says Laurent Vogel, director of the health and safety department of the European Trade Union Confederation's Institute. “The point is to limit night work to social or technical reasons . . . [not] just for reasons of profitability.”

“有充分證據表明，夜班工作對人體健康有害，無論男性還是女性。”歐洲工會聯合會研究所(ETUI-REHS)安全衛生部主任洛朗?沃格爾(Laurent Vogel)表示：“關鍵是從社會或技術的角度減少夜班……而不僅僅是從盈利角度考慮。”

Denmark's injuries board looked at 75 cases last year and approved compensation in 38. The board said it might recognise night working as an occupational disease once the full IARC report was published, speeding up approval of pay-outs.

丹麥國家傷害委員會去年研究了75個案例，批准給予其中38例補償。該委員會表示，一旦IARC的報告全文發表，它可能將夜班列入職業病範疇，加快補償審批速度。

The board's decision has already prompted some Danish employers to change policy. SAS, the leading Scandinavian airline, took action when one of its Danish stewardesses won compensation for developing breast cancer after more than 20 years of long-haul flights. “We have given our crew members the option of not flying long haul if they are not comfortable doing that,” SAS said.

該委員會的決定已促使丹麥部分僱主調整相關政策。北歐主要航空公司SAS在一名丹麥籍空姐因患乳癌而獲補償後，採取了行動。這位空姐在遠端航班服務了20多年。該航空公司表示：“乘務員如果感到不適，有權選擇不飛遠端航班。”