Policing and cancer: the need for further research

It is becoming increasingly apparent that people who work in certain professions are more likely to develop cancer than other professionals – some examples being firefighters, farmers, auto workers, and hair dressers. The purpose of this paper is to inspire research about whether policing might be yet another profession of concern. While there is a scarcity of research establishing a relationship between policing and cancer, there are aspects of police work that should give strong reason for concern. This paper argues that when considering such matters as shift work, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), diet, dehydration, working lifestyle, exposure to carcinogens, air pollution, exposure to UVA/UVB rays, radar, and the single event factor, there is a prima facie case to be made that a relationship between police work and cancer is likely. Accordingly, it is a matter that deserves serious research attention.