About Cancer among Norwegian offshore workers

In 1989, the CRN received a request from the Norwegian Oil Industry Association (today Norwegian Oil and Gas). The Norwegian oil industry had grown significantly during the 1970s and 80s and the Norwegian Oil Industry Association was interested in an overview of cancer incidence and mortality among offshore workers. Following the request, CRN conducted a large survey in 1998 among 28,000 people who worked offshore between 1965 and 1998. Data from the survey resulted in the "Offshore-cohort", which has been the basis for several publications.

During the last decades, working environment and potential health hazards in the oil industry have received more attention. The Government has stated in reports to the Norwegian Parliament, that they want Norway to be a world leader in health safety and environment (HSE) standards in petroleum activities. As the industry is constantly developing, and with greater attention to HSE, there has been a need for exposure-related cancer studies from recent years, including data after 1998.

Thus, with broad support from the industry, unions and regulators, the CRN started in 2019 to plan a new project. In this project, the plan is to use data from helicopter transport to offshore platforms, to identify individuals who have been offshore in the period from the 1980s until today. This cohort is called the "Heliport-cohort". The Heliport cohort will be a unique database that will provide an updated and almost complete overview of the employee group at offshore installations – and hence a high-quality monitoring tool for studies of benzene exposure and cancer risk from, and potentially other exposures and health outcomes, depending on formal authorization from regulatory agencies.

Findings

Long-term rotating shift work can increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Read more.
Increased risk for some cancer types among offshore workers compared to the remaining Norwegian population.

The risk of some types of lymphoma and leukaemia (acute myeloid leukaemia, multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia) appears to increase as benzene exposure increases.
The risk of skin cancer appears to increase with duration of skin contact with benzene and crude oil. 

Employees in the offshore group

Get to know the offshore research group working on projects that deal with cancer risk among offshore workers. Click on the name to get a detailed profile. 

Group leader

• Jo S Stenehjem, Senior Research Scientist

Group participants

• Tom K Grimsrud, Senior Medical Officer/Senior Research Scientist
• Marit Bragelien Veierød, Professor, University of Oslo
• Leon Alexander Mclaren Berge, Researcher, University of Oslo
• Niki Marjerrison, Researcher, University of Oslo
• Nita Kaupang Shala, Postdoctoral Researcher
• Ronnie Babigumira, PhD Research Fellow
• Jan Ivar Martinsen, Data Manager
• Mieke Louwe, Senior advisor/Project coordinator

Allumni

• Fei Chih (Phillip) Liu, PhD-student 2019–2022, Disputation 23-Sept-2022
• Behzad Heibati, Postdoc 2023-2024

Academic collaborators

Norwegian partners

• Sven Ove Samuelsen, Professor, University of Oslo
• Leiv Arne Rosseland, Professor, Oslo University Hospital/University of Oslo
• Olav Røise, Professor Oslo University Hospital/University of Oslo
• Magne Bråtveit, Professor, University of Bergen
• Tom Ivar Nilsen, Professor Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Karl-Christian Nordby, Deputy Director of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, STAMI
• Raymond Olsen, Senior Research Fellow, STAMI
• Jorunn Kirkeleit, Senior Research Fellow, STAMI

International partners

• Dean Hosgood, Associate Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
• Debra Silverman, Director of the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch and Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute, USA
• Nathaniel Rotman, Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute, USA
• Qing Lan, Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute, USA
• Melissa Friessen, Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute, USA
• Roel Vermeulen, Professor, Utrecht University, Netherlands 
• Johannes (Hans) Kromhout, Professor, Utrecht University, Netherlands 
• Paul Demers, Professor, Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario, Canada 
• Lawrence Engel, Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Financial research support

Projects funded through the Research Council of Norway are:

• Exposure and cancer risk among offshore workers
• Cancer risk associated with benzene exposure
• Exposure assessment and prevention of death, disease and injuries among offshoreworkers

Research dissemination in media

2024

• Brødre i blærekreft. Interview with Stavanger Aftenblad, November 2024
• Olje-pioneren Jan Erik har mistet kolleger til kreft, og ble selv syk av kjemikalier. Nå oppdager forskere stadig nye kreftformer knyttet til arbeid med olje. Interview with forskning.no, October 2024
• Fortvilte oljearbeidere ringer kreftforsker for å få svar. Interview with Stavanger Aftenblad, October 2024
• Forskere: Asbest kan føre til sjelden krefttyper hos oljepionerene. Interview with Dagsavisen, September 2024
• Fant sammenheng mellom asbest og brysthinnekreft offshore. Interview with the Medical Faculty University of Oslo, August 2024
  Benzen: Kreftfremkallende i 100 år. Interview with Dagsavisen, May 2024
• Benzen og lungekreft. Short article in PUST, the magazine of the lung cancer association. March 2024
• Studie peker på sammenheng mellom blærekreft og benzen. Interview with Blærekreftforeningen, Februar 2024
• Ny kreftlink oppdaget: - ikke overrasket. Interview with Stavanger Aftenblad, February 2024

2023

• Enda en kreftform knyttes til oljearbeid. Interview with Stavanger Aftenblad, September 2023
• Helseskader i Nordsjøen: Krever 7,7 millioner for hver oljearbeider. Interview with NRK, February 2023
• Rig research reveals night shift workers at greater risk of cancer. Interview with The Sunday Post, March 2023
• Økt risiko for aggressiv prostatakreft ved nattarbeid offshore. Interview with the Medical Faculty University of Oslo, March 2023
• Turnusarbeidarar sårbare for aggressiv prostatakreft. Interview with NRK, February 2023
• Auka risiko for prostatakreft om ein jobbar på natt. Interview on NRK-radio starting at 00.50, February 2023
• Norsk studie: Langvarig eksponering for skiftarbeid kan øke faren for aggressiv prostatakreft. Interview with Dagens medisin, February 2023
• Night shift work may make offshore petroleum workers more susceptible to aggressive prostate cancer. Interview with News medical life sciences, February 2023
• Night work may increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer in offshore petroleum workers. Interview with Medical Express, February 2023

2022

• De betaler den høyeste oljeprisen. Interview with Kreftforeningen, November 2022
• Kreftforskere etterlyser flere svar. Interview with Stavanger Aftenblad, June 2022
• Kreftundersøkelse av 70 000 offshorearbeidere. Interview at NRK-radio from 45:56, April 2022
• Tord mener oljejobben førte til kreft og uførhet. Interview with NRK, April 2022
• Vi kan fortsatt lære av Kielland-ulykken. Chronical in Dagens medisin, March 2022.

2021

• Oljearbeidernes sykdoms-byrde – og den nye regjeringens ansvar. Chronical in Dagens medisin, September 2021
• Kreftundersøkelse av 70 000 offshorearbeidere. Interview with NRK radio from 41:29, January 2021
• Kreftrisikoen blant offshore­arbeidere skal kartlegges. Interview with forskning.no. January 2021
• Vil kartlegge alle som har jobbet i Nordsjøen de siste tjue åra. Interview with NRK, January 2021

Peer-reviewd articles

• Nita K Shala, Marit B Veierød, Ronnie Babigumira, Leon A M Berge, Sven O Samuelsen, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Magne Bråtveit, Melissa C Friesen, Alexander P Keil, Debra T Silverman, Nathaniel Rothman, Lan Qing, Jo S Stenehjem, Tom K Grimsrud. Occupational exposures and kidney cancer among 25 000 male offshore petroleum industry workers: relative risks and healthy worker survivor bias. Am J Epidemiol. 2025 Feb 28. PMID: 40036895. Online ahead of print.
  
  Leon Alexander Mclaren Berge, Nita Kaupang Shala, Francesco Barone-Adesi, H Dean Hosgood, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Magne Bråtveit, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Debra Silverman, Melissa C Friesen, Ronnie Babigumira, Tom K Grimsrud, Marit B Veierød, Jo S Stenehjem. Exposure to fibres and risk of pleural mesothelioma in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers cohort. Occup Environ Med. 2024 Aug 16. PMID: 38955483
• Ronnie Babigumira, Marit B Veierød, H Dean Hosgood, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Magne Bråtveit, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan, Debra T Silverman, Melissa C Friesen, Nita Kaupang Shala, Tom K Grimsrud, Jo Steinson Stenehjem. Benzene exposure and risk of lung cancer in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Worker cohort: a prospective case-cohort study. Occup Environ Med. 2023 Dec 28. PMID: 38154914
• Nita K Shala, Jo S Stenehjem, Ronnie Babigumira, Fei-Chih Liu, Leon A M Berge, Debra T Silverman, Melissa C Friesen, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan, H Dean Hosgood, Sven O Samuelsen, Magne Bråtveit, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Bettina K Andreassen, Marit B Veierød, Tom K Grimsrud. Exposure to benzene and other hydrocarbons and risk of bladder cancer among male offshore petroleum workers. Br J Cancer. 2023 Jul 18. PMID: 37464024
• Leon A M Berge, Fei-Chih Liu, Tom K Grimsrud, Ronnie Babigumira, Nathalie C Støer, Kristina Kjærheim, Trude E Robsahm, Reza Ghiasvand, H Dean Hosgood, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Debra T Silverman, Melissa C Friesen, Nita K Shala, Marit B Veierød, Jo S Stenehjem. Night shift work and risk of aggressive prostate cancer in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers (NOPW) cohort. Int J Epidemiol. 2023 Aug 2;52(4):1003-1014. PMID: 36548214
• Fei-Chih Liu, Tom K Grimsrud, Marit B Veierød, Trude E Robsahm, Reza Ghiasvand, Ronnie Babigumira, Nita K Shala, Jo S Stenehjem. Ultraviolet radiation and risk of cutaneous melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma in males and females in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers cohort. Am J Ind Med. 2021 Jun;64(6):496-510. PMID: 33682179
• Fei-Chih Liu, Marit B Veierød, Kristina Kjærheim, Trude E Robsahm, Reza Ghiasvand, Ronnie Babigumira, Nita K Shala, Leon A M Berge, Giske Ursin, Tom K Grimsrud, Jo S Stenehjem. Excess risk of male breast cancer in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers (NOPW) cohort: a possible link to extreme night shift work? Breast Cancer Res. 2021 Nov 18;23(1):106. PMID: 34794511
• Fei Chih Liu, Marit Bragelien Veierød, Kristina Kjærheim, Trude Eid Robsahm, Reza Ghiasvand, H Dean Hosgood, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Magne Bråtveit, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan, Debra T Silverman, Melissa C Friesen, Ronnie Babigumira, Nita Shala, Tom K Grimsrud, Jo Steinson Stenehjem. Night shift work, chemical coexposures and risk of female breast cancer in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers (NOPW) cohort: a prospectively recruited case-cohort study. BMJ Open. 2022 Jan 24;12(1):e056396. PMID: 35074823
• Jo S Stenehjem, Ronnie Babigumira, H Dean Hosgood, Marit B Veierød, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Magne Bråtveit, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Nathaniel Rothman, Qing Lan, Debra T Silverman, Melissa C Friesen, Trude E Robsahm, Kristina Kjærheim, Bettina K Andreassen, Nita K Shala, Fei-Chih Liu, Leif-Åge Strand, Tom K Grimsrud. Cohort Profile: Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers (NOPW) Cohort. Int J Epidemiol., 2021 May 17;50(2):398-399. PMID: 32879941
• Jo Steinson Stenehjem, Ronnie Babigumira, Melissa C Friesen, Tom Kristian Grimsrud. Harmonizing work history data in epidemiologic studies with overlapping employment records. Am J Ind Med. 2019 May;62(5):422-429. PMID: 30919995
• J S Stenehjem, T E Robsahm, M Bråtveit, S O Samuelsen, J Kirkeleit, T K Grimsrud. Ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer risk in offshore workers. Occup Med (Lond). 2017 Oct 1;67(7):569-573. PMID: 2904859
• Jo Steinson Stenehjem, Trude Eid Robsahm, Magne Bråtveit, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Jorunn Kirkeleit, Tom Kristian Grimsrud. Aromatic hydrocarbons and risk of skin cancer by anatomical site in 25 000 male offshore petroleum workers. Am J Ind Med. 2017 Aug;60(8):679-688. PMID: 28692192
• Jo S Stenehjem, Melissa C Friesen, Tone Eggen, Kristina Kjærheim, Magne Bråtveit, Tom K Grimsrud. Self-reported Occupational Exposures Relevant for Cancer among 28,000 Offshore Oil Industry Workers Employed between 1965 and 1999. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2015;12(7):458-68. PMID: 5671393
• J S Stenehjem, K Kjærheim, M Bråtveit, S O Samuelsen, F Barone-Adesi, N Rothman, Q Lan, T K Grimsrud. Benzene exposure and risk of lymphohaematopoietic cancers in 25 000 offshore oil industry workers. Br J Cancer. 2015 Apr 28;112(9):1603-12. PMID: 25867262
• J S Stenehjem, K. Kjærheim, K. S. Rabanal, T. K. Grimsrud. Cancer incidence among 41 000 offshore oil industry workers. Occupational Medicine, 2014 Oct; 64(7):539–545, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqu111
• Gjøril Bergva Aas, Bjarte Aagnes, Leif Age Strand, Tom K Grimsrud. Suggested excess of occupational cancers in Norwegian offshore workers: preliminary results from the Cancer Registry Offshore Cohort. Scand J Work Environ Health, 2009 Oct;35(5):397. PMID: 19554245

Other reports and publications

• Shala NK (2024). Occupational exposures and cancer of the bladder, kidney, and pleura in Norwegian offshore petroleum workers. PhD thesis. Kreftregisteret, Universitetet i Oslo
• Liu FC (2022). Ultraviolet exposure and night shift work in relation to risk of
  skin, breast and prostate cancer in offshore petroleum workers. PhD thesis. Kreftregisteret, Universitetet i Oslo
• Stenehjem & Grimsrud (2015). Benzeneksponering og risiko for lymfohematologisk kreft. Best Practice Juni 2015.
• Stenehjem J (2014). Cancer incidence and occupational exposure in offshore oil industry workers. PhD thesis. Kreftregisteret, Universitetet i Oslo.
• Stenehjem and Grimsrud (2012). Prosjekt kjemisk arbeidsmiljø i olje- og gassindustrien. Yrkeshygienikeren
• Aas. GB, Strand LÅ & Grimsrud (2007). Kartlegging av kreftrisiko og årsaksspesifikk dødelighet blant ansatte i norsk offshorevirksomhet - Utdanning og yrkesaktivitet utenfor offshore. Oslo: Kreftregisteret
• Aas GB, Strand LÅ & Grimsrud TK (2007). Kartlegging av kreftrisiko og årsaksspesifikk dødelighet blant ansatte i norsk offshorevirksomhet - Foreløpig vurdering av kreftforekomst ogskisse for fremtidige studier. Oslo: Kreftregisteret.
• Strand LÅ, Andersen A (2001). Kartlegging av kreftrisiko og årsaksspesifikk dødelighet blant ansatte i norsk offshorevirksomhet. Forskningsrapport nr. 1 – 2001. Oslo: Kreftregisteret.