Working long hours outdoors is a skin cancer hazard, and new research estimates that about one in three deaths caused by non-melanoma cancers annually can be attributed to occupational exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. As of the latest available data, this amounted to nearly 19,000 such work-related deaths worldwide in 2019, according to the study, which was a review of the existing evidence.
The figures come from the latest installment of an expansive research project from both the WHO and the International Labour Organization, which is trying to tally the burden of disease and injury caused by work. Past research of theirs has estimated that around 1.9 million work-related deaths occurred globally in 2016, with 700,000 deaths tied specifically to working too many hours.
Last year, the WHO/ILO published a report that concluded occupational exposure to UV radiation was a likely risk factor for causing non-melanoma skin cancers. The vast majority of skin cancers are non-melanoma, though melanoma tends to be harder to treat successfully and deadlier overall. Both types of skin cancers can be caused by UV radiation, though the WHO/ILO team was unable to establish a clear link between working outdoors and the incidence of melanoma, in part due to limited data.
Now, the agencies’ scientists have estimated the number of non-melanoma deaths that might arise from working outdoors without suitable UV protection.
The team’s new report, published Wednesday in the journal Environment International, looked at data from 183 countries between 2000 and 2019. In 2019, an estimated 1.6 billion people were regularly exposed to UV radiation through their jobs, or about 28% of workers in general. Based on other research, the authors estimated that outdoor occupational exposure currently accounts for about 29% of non-melanoma skin cancer deaths annually.
In 2019, that would have resulted in 18,960 deaths, with 65% of these deaths in men. Work-related sun also contributed to a total half-million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019. DALYs are a common measure of injury, where one DALY equals losing a year of full health. These deaths and injuries are largely preventable, but the problem has actually gotten larger over time. Between 2000 to 2019, annual deaths and DALYs attributed to outdoor work doubled, the authors found.
“Unprotected exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation at work is a major cause of occupational skin cancer,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement released by the UN. “But there are effective solutions to protect workers from the sun’s harmful rays and prevent their deadly effects.”
These solutions, the WHO and ILO say, include businesses regularly providing shade to their workers, providing them with sunscreen and protective clothing, and adjusting people’s schedules away from the sun during peak UV hours (typically noon) and on especially sunny days.
“It is urgent that governments, employers, and workers work together to reduce the occupational risk of UV exposure. This can save thousands of lives every year,” said Gilbert Houngbo, director-general of the ILO, in a statement.
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