Health · Medical Research · 1 hr ago
Long-term night work linked to higher breast cancer risk in Mexico
In Mexico, night work is considered a probable cancer risk by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
A case study by the Autonomous University of Querétaro found that more than 8,000 hours of night shifts doubled breast cancer risk among the people studied.
The study said prolonged night work was linked to a risk up to eight times higher.
Night shifts can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, which helps regulate cellular, metabolic and hormonal functions.
Breast cancer can affect men as well as women, and workplace exposure to chemicals such as benzene or trichloroethylene may add to men's risk.
Specialists say employers should recognize the health effects of night work, which is also listed as an occupational disease under Mexican law.
Long-term night work is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, according to a case study described by El Economista MX.
The study, conducted by the Autonomous University of Querétaro at an IMSS facility in the state, found that more than 8,000 hours of night work doubled the risk.
The article says the risk in prolonged night-work schedules can be up to eight times higher.
Experts cited in the report say night work can disrupt the circadian rhythm and affect the body’s cellular, metabolic and hormonal functions.
The article notes that breast cancer can affect men as well as women, and that workplace exposure to some chemicals may add to the risk.
- Who
- People who work night shifts, including women and men.
- What
- Long-term night work is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer.
- When
- The article was published on October 21, 2026; the study date is not stated.
- Where
- Mexico; the study was conducted at an IMSS facility in Querétaro.
- Why
- Night work can disrupt the circadian rhythm. The article also describes workplace exposure to certain cancer-causing chemicals as a possible additional risk.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Autonomous University of Querétaro conducted a case study at an IMSS facility in Querétaro; the study date is not stated.
El Economista MX published an article on night work and breast cancer risk.
- Night-work threshold
- More than 8,000 hours
- Reported risk
- Doubled after more than 8,000 hours of night work
- Risk in prolonged schedules
- Up to eight times higher
- Study location
- IMSS facility in Querétaro, Mexico
- Male-to-female case ratio
- 1 male case per 100 female cases
What people are saying
Night work and all these alterations that can be documented form part of the matrices of international organizations that are detecting this pattern with an elevated risk of developing tumors, particularly breast and prostate tumors.
Breast cancer can occur in both men and women. Although the general epidemiological ratio is one male case for every 100 female cases, occupational origin concerns both sexes equally.