Shift Work and Prostate Cancer Incidence in Industrial Workers: A Historical Cohort Study in a German Chemical Company.

Background: There is inconsistent evidence for a possible carcinogenic effect of shift work. In particular, little is known about the putative association of shift work with prostate cancer.

Method: We studied a cohort of 27,828 male industrial production workers residing in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate who worked for at least one year in a chemical company in the period 1995-2005.

Combined effect of back pain and stress on work ability.

Background: Back pain and occupational stress are known risk factors for absenteeism and presenteeism. In addition, the relationship between back pain (BP) and psychosocial stressors has been examined in numerous studies.

Aims: To examine the prevalence of BP and perceived stress among employees of different occupational status and to investigate their combined impact on work ability.

Chromosomal alterations in exfoliated urothelial cells from bladder cancer cases and healthy men: a prospective screening study.

Background: Chromosomal instability in exfoliated urothelial cells has been associated with the development of bladder cancer. Here, we analyzed the accumulation of copy number variations (CNVs) using fluorescence in situ hybridization in cancer cases and explored factors associated with the detection of CNVs in tumor-free men.

Methods: The prospective UroScreen study was designed to investigate the performance of UroVysion™ and other tumor tests for the early detection of bladder cancer in chemical workers from 2003-2010.

A retrospective cohort study of shift work and risk of incident cancer among German male chemical workers.

Objective: Human evidence of carcinogenicity concerning shift work is inconsistent. This industry-based cohort study aimed to examine the relationship between working in a rotating shift and cancer incidence.

Methods: The cohort consisted of male production workers (12 609 shift and 15 219 day), employed in a large chemical industry for at least one year between 1995-2005, and residing in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Shift work and risk of non-cancer mortality in a cohort of German male chemical workers.

Objectives: Shift work is widely considered to be a health risk. In a previous study, we observed no elevated risk of total mortality in BASF shift workers followed up until the end of 2006. The present study aims to investigate non-cancer mortality, especially mortality caused by ischaemic heart disease (IHD), relative to shift work.