International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

Built World

Body responsible for classifying night shift work as a probable carcinogen

For most of human history, nightfall meant the end of productive labor. The industrial revolution and the electric lightbulb reversed that arrangement, turning overnight factory shifts into a pillar of modern manufacturing. But a quieter reversal has been underway for decades. Labor regulations, mounting health evidence, and machines that can run in the dark without human hands are steadily reducing the share of workers toiling at night.

Updated May 30

New Capabilities

Published landmark preventable cancer analysis

Four in ten cancer cases worldwide could be prevented. That's from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer—the first time researchers have quantified the combined burden of cancer's behavioral, environmental, occupational, and infectious causes using data from 185 countries. The analysis, published in Nature Medicine ahead of World Cancer Day, estimates that 7.1 million cancer cases in 2022 were linked to just 30 modifiable risk factors.

Updated May 29

Rule Changes

Classified firefighting as Group 1 carcinogenic

Maryland's James Malone Act took effect January 1, 2026, requiring free cancer screenings for professional firefighters in every county with a self-insured health plan. The law targets ten cancer types that kill firefighters at dramatically higher rates than the general population.

Updated May 19