OCCUPATIONAL solar UV exposure was linked to higher melanoma risk in a nationwide Danish worker cohort.

A large register-based study of Danish workers has found an exposure-response association between occupational solar UV exposure and cutaneous melanoma, strengthening concern that prolonged outdoor work may contribute to melanoma risk.

The nationwide cohort included 2.9 million individuals employed between 1977 and 2015. Occupational histories were linked to first-time melanoma diagnoses recorded in the Danish Cancer Registry, allowing investigators to assess melanoma incidence across long-term work-related solar ultraviolet radiation exposure.

Nationwide Worker Cohort Tracks Long-Term Exposure

Cumulative occupational solar UV exposure was estimated by linking occupational histories to a European job exposure matrix. Exposure was expressed in cumulative standard erythema dose years, providing a measure of work-related solar UV radiation burden over time.

Workers were followed for a median of 19 years. During follow-up, 11,344 individuals developed cutaneous melanoma. Median cumulative occupational solar UV exposure was 5.99 standard erythema dose years.

Risk estimates were calculated using discrete-time hazard models, with additional modeling of exposure-response relationships through restricted cubic splines. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, calendar year, smoking, dermatologic or immunologic disease, organ transplantation, parental history of melanoma, and medications.

Occupational Solar UV Exposure Shows Dose Response

Melanoma incidence rose with increasing cumulative occupational solar UV exposure. In spline analysis, risk peaked at an incidence rate ratio of 1.59 at 14.80 standard erythema dose years. Workers in the highest exposure quartile had an adjusted incidence rate ratio of 1.57 compared with those in the lowest exposure quartile.

The findings suggest that occupational solar UV exposure may represent a measurable and preventable contributor to melanoma risk among workers with sustained outdoor exposure. Although solar ultraviolet radiation is already recognized as the main risk factor for cutaneous melanoma, evidence specific to occupational exposure has remained limited.

Workplace Sun Protection Needs Greater Priority

For clinicians, the study reinforces the importance of occupational history when assessing melanoma risk, particularly for people who work outdoors or have done so over many years. Questions about cumulative sun exposure, job type, and workplace protection may help identify individuals who could benefit from targeted prevention counseling and skin surveillance.

The authors concluded that the observed exposure-response relationship highlights the urgent need for workplace sun-protection policies. For employers and public health leaders, prevention strategies may include shade access, protective clothing, scheduling changes, and education around solar UV radiation as an occupational hazard.

Reference
Kristensen I et al. Occupational solar UV-exposure and risk of cutaneous melanoma among Danish workers: A nationwide cohort study. Eur J Cancer. 2026;244:116884.

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