Oxygen news: health warning for truck drivers
Truck drivers can use oxygen therapy to help them stay awake on long haul journeys that can last through the night.
However, the irregular hours of the job could mean they face a higher risk of suffering strokes or heart attacks.
According to research published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), shift work, which is defined as employment outside normal nine to five working hours, generates a greater threat of such conditions.
Associate professor at Western University in London, Ontario, Dan Hackam, explained that shift work was associated with a relative risk increase of 23 per cent for heart attacks and five per cent for ischemic stroke.
"It is a pretty significant impact at the population level just because shift work is such a prevalent employment pattern," he said in a BMJ Group podcast.
"As we move more and more towards a 24/7 society, with services open throughout the night and other odd hours … we think this is going to be even more of a problem."
Posted by James Worrall
10/08/2012 17:08:47
Subscribe to the News RSS feed
Related articles