Measuring Light at Night and Melatonin Levels in Shift Workers: A Review of the Literature

Details

• Personal Author:
  Figueiro MG ; Hunter CM
• Description:
  Shift work, especially that involving rotating and night shifts, is associated with an increased risk of diseases, including cancer. Attempts to explain the association between shift work and cancer in particular have focused on the processes of melatonin production and suppression. One hypothesis postulates that exposure to light at night (LAN) suppresses melatonin, whose production is known to slow the development of cancerous cells, while another proposes that circadian disruption associated with shift work, and not just LAN, increases health risks. This review focuses on six studies that employed quantitative measurement of LAN and melatonin levels to assess cancer risks in shift workers. These studies were identified via searching the PubMed database for peer-reviewed, English-language articles examining the links between shift work, LAN, and disease using the terms light at night, circadian disruption, health, risk, cancer, shift work, or rotating shift. While the results indicate a growing consensus on the relationship between disease risks (particularly cancer) and circadian disruption associated with shift work, the establishment of a direct link between LAN and disease has been impeded by contradictory studies and a lack of consistent, quantitative methods for measuring LAN in the research to date. Better protocols for assessing personal LAN exposure are required, particularly those employing calibrated devices that measure and sample exposure to workplace light conditions, to accurately assess LAN's effects on the circadian system and disease. Other methodologies, such as measuring circadian disruption and melatonin levels in the field, may also help to resolve discrepancies in the findings. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Circadian Rhythm Neoplasms Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sleep
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Breast Cancer Biological Effects Cancer Rates Circadian Disruption Circadian Rhythms Health Hormone Activity Light At Night Light Waves Melatonin Production Risk Factors Rotating Shifts Shift Work Shift Workers Work Schedules

  More +
• ISSN:
  1099-8004
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  365-374
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054466
• Citation:
  Biol Res Nurs 2017 Jul; 19(4):365-374
• Contact Point Address:
  Mariana G. Figueiro, PhD, Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 21 Union Street, third floor, Troy, NY 12180, USA
• Email:
  figuem@rpi.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance ; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Performing Organization:
  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150901
• Source Full Name:
  Biological Research for Nursing
• End Date:
  20190831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ee1bad504376b71641499f60c6f73e7f6747fb98576841b1ac7829eb8fbf3d597c2a837f1f1b7c2a69de7465735cf7618b64abc20dc066d941897eebcee4de90
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217026/cdc_217026_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 183.06 KB ]