It's a dirty job, and it could lead to cancer

Is there something that domestic workers are exposed to while working in homes that contributes to lung cancer?

This is what Moira Beery, a researcher from the South African Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, is wondering after finding that there is a much higher incidence of lung cancer among domestic workers than other women.

At least a million women have worked as domestic workers in South Africa.

Beery used data from the Johannesburg Cancer Control Case Study, a huge database of cancer patients treated at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and interviewed by researchers.

Analysing information on more than 16000 patients, Beery found that domestic workers were also at significantly higher risk of cervical, throat and uterine cancer.

She said employers, many of whom were close to their employees, could encourage them to be screened by a doctor for cervical cancer, which is curable if detected early enough.

The data showed domestic workers were an older population, and the risk of cancer rose with age.

They were also more likely to smoke, but Beery suspected that smoking might not fully explain the higher rate of lung cancer.

Previous research by Cornelius Nattay at the National Institute for Occupational Health had found that domestic workers had a seven times higher risk of lung cancer.

Beery believes more research is needed to see if there are occupational risks in domestic work linked to cleaning products.