The Invisibility of Occupational Diseases: The Relationship Between Working Conditions and the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

Abstract

An occupational disease results from exposure to risk factors in the course of work. Although cancer is the main cause of death among occupational diseases, many cases remain unreported, with an impact both on the reparation of victims and on the prevention of the risks that determined its expression. The present study analysed this problem, based on the evidence of 13 cases of prostate cancer in a steel smelting section of a metallurgical industry in northern Portugal. The information was obtained through interviews and the application of the Inquérito Saúde e Trabalho (INSAT), on former workers and actors involved in occupational safety and health (OSH). The results showed that the steel smelting and working conditions—in particular, rotating shifts works, exposure to hazardous substances, electromagnetic fields and radioactivity are risk factors for the health of workers, with a decisive effect on the manifestation of prostate cancer. However, several obstacles prevented the certification of the disease as an occupational disease and the adoption of preventive and compensating measures.