Paris (France) (AFP) – Despite growing scientific evidence of a link between certain working conditions and a proportion of breast cancers, a woman suffering from this disease must, to see it recognized and compensated, prove that her activity played a leading role in its onset.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 08:18

A cancer is said to be "of occupational origin" if it is the direct consequence of professional exposure to a physical, chemical or biological risk, or results from the conditions of exercise of the activity.

For breast cancer - at the heart of the Pink October prevention campaign - ionizing rays are classified as "proven carcinogens" by the WHO anti-cancer agency (IARC) and night work is "probably" carcinogenic. Other factors, such as chemical substances, are being scrutinized by the French Health Safety Agency (ANSES), which will report its work at the end of 2027.

The deadliest cancer in women with nearly 13,000 deaths annually in France, breast cancer is a disease of multifactorial origin.

Recognizing the occupational origin of breast cancer is difficult because it is absent from the list of pathologies for which the link with a profession is presumed. In the absence of registration in a "table" - which gives entitlement to lump sum compensation when specific criteria are met - each woman must prove in court the "direct and essential" link between her illness and her work.

"+Essential+ means that there are no other factors that could promote the appearance of cancer: it is very complicated to demonstrate", explains to AFP Dr Alain Randon, doctor from the Ramazzini association who analyzes the professional exposure of patients supported by unions and victims' associations in their request for recognition.

"Unfortunately, we only give a favorable opinion to initiate legal proceedings to one case in two: those almost devoid of 'confounding factors', personal factors favoring the appearance of cancer: heavy smoking, family history of breast, ovarian or uterine cancer...", he says.

Risk multiplied by three

"We look at the weight of these 'confounding' factors in relation to professional exposure. The fact of having worked 20 years at night, of having been exposed to ionizing radiation, of being stressed - which weakens the immune system -, will be major in relation to the fact of having smoked ten packs of cigarettes per year, of having gained weight, or of taking the pill for 5 to 10 years", details the doctor.

Unions - in particular the CFDT Grand-Est, a pioneer on the subject - and associations seek to obtain an improvement in case law.

“The more cases there are recognized, the more it will encourage them to be recognized,” believes the doctor, because “the Ministry of Labor is not ready to publish new tables of occupational diseases, there is a total blockage.” These tables, which result from negotiations between unions and employers, must be validated by the ministry.

For the moment, the occupational origin of breast cancer has only been recognized for a few women, after years of procedures: nurses from Metz exposed to ionizing rays in radiology, a parquetry worker exposed to night work and endocrine disruptors in Agen or even, in July, a flight attendant having accumulated nights and exposure to cosmic radiation during long-haul flights, in Bayonne.

Her lawyer, Me Elisabeth Leroux, points out a "guilt-inducing" speech towards her clients: "You smoked, you drank a little too much, you didn't breastfeed, you are too fat: it's your fault".

While working three nights a week for ten years multiplies the risk by three - but this returns to zero as soon as we find daytime work - "we never question these women about their potential professional risks", deplores the lawyer, who defends nurses, police officers, night guards, workers, croupiers, etc.

However, "when they have spent their entire career at night or have been massively exposed, without protection, to endocrine disruptors, we can demonstrate that this exposure exceeds personal risk factors: the judges hear it", explains Me Leroux.

But the long and complex procedures discourage many women who must "already fight against the disease" and take care of their family, because these cancers often strike young people.

© 2026 AFP

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