Why do some workers get more skin cancer?
Increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma based on solar ultraviolet radiation measurements from outdoor workers in Lisbon, Portugal
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
People who work outside all day, like gardeners or sailors, get more skin cancer because the sun hurts their skin over many years. This study measured exactly how much sun they got and found some got way more than others—even in the same job.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 542 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
People who work outside all day, like gardeners or sailors, get more skin cancer because the sun hurts their skin over many years. This study measured exactly how much sun they got and found some got way more than others—even in the same job.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 542 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Paulo MS, Castela MM, Strehl C, Carvalho F, Loney T, Modenese A, Gobba F, Barroso-Dias J, Pinho C, Rodrigues A, Tenkate T, John SM, Bieck C, Lapão LV, Maia MR, Westerhausen S, Wittlich M
Related Content
Claims (6)
Chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure is the primary etiological factor in the development of non-melanoma skin cancers, specifically basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which frequently occur on sun-exposed facial regions and can result in significant structural disfigurement upon surgical excision.
People who work outside all day for many years, like gardeners or road workers, are much more likely to get a type of skin cancer called SCC than people who work inside, because of all the sun they’re exposed to.
Even among people doing the same outdoor job, some get way more sun than others—so some are much more likely to get skin cancer, depending on how they work and whether they use shade or sunscreen.
The safety limit for sun exposure at work is too low—many outdoor workers in Lisbon get 3–4 times more sun in a day than the current safety rule allows.
Wearing a sun exposure meter on the arm gives a much better idea of how much sun a worker gets than guessing based on their job title, making it a better tool to protect them from skin cancer.