Employers may take shortcuts on health and safety, experts say
The financial crisis will probably hamper cancer prevention efforts in Europe, according to a new study in the European Journal of Cancer, since it will increase exposure to risk factors due to changes in work and lifestyle. As budgets are cut, lifestyles change and employees take safety shortcuts, Reuters reports, cancer rates are expected to rise. “Private companies and governments tend to take shortcuts in occupational safety controls during periods of economic hardship,” Jose Martin-Moreno, a public health and preventative medicine specialist at Spain’s Valencia University, told the news agency. He found that recessions can impact a range of factors, like smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, exercise, drug research and occupational risk.