Mick
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 Posted: 04/27/06 - 16:42 Post subject: Sales jobs tied to bladder cancer risk |
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A review of research adds to evidence that people who work in sales may have a slightly elevated risk of bladder cancer -- particularly women.
Studies have found higher bladder cancer rates among people in various occupations, including hairdressers, textile workers, truck drivers and workers in the rubber, leather and chemical industries. It's thought that long-term chemical exposures are to blame.
A number of studies over the past 20 years have also found sales workers to be at higher-than-average risk of bladder cancer. But some researchers have regarded these as chance findings, partly because there is no clear biological explanation for such a link.
For their study, Drs. Andrea Mannetje and Neil Pearce of Massey University in New Zealand analyzed 18 previous studies on occupation and bladder cancer risk.
The studies varied in their findings on men, and there was no clear overall association between sales jobs and bladder cancer. There was, however, some suggestion that men in car sales had an elevated risk.
Still, it's not yet clear that there is any true cause-and-effect relationship between sales jobs and bladder cancer, Mannetje told Reuters Health.
One plausible hypothesis, Mannetje explained, is that sales workers have less time for bathroom breaks and take in less fluid throughout the day -- which might affect their cancer risk because the bladder has a longer contact with potentially cancer-promoting substances in the urine.
Regardless of whether there is a real cause-and-effect relationship, Mannetje pointed out, the best way for people to reduce their risk of bladder cancer is to avoid smoking. |
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