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We have some bad news to report for mates working the 00-04 watch. Like UV rays and diesel exhaust fumes, working the graveyard shift will soon be listed as a “probable” cause of cancer. The Associated Press tells us;

Next month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, will add overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen.

The higher cancer rates don’t prove working overnight can cause cancer. There may be other factors common among graveyard shift workers that raise their risk for cancer.

However, scientists suspect that overnight work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian rhythm, the body’s biological clock. The hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night.

If the graveyard shift theory eventually proves correct, millions of people worldwide could be affected. Experts estimate that nearly 20 percent of the working population in developed countries work night shifts.

They continue;

Scientists believe having lower melatonin levels can raise the risk of developing cancer. Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels.

Sleep deprivation may be another factor in cancer risk. People who work at night are not usually able to completely reverse their day and night cycles.

“Night shift people tend to be day shift people who are trying to stay awake at night,” said Mark Rea, director of the Light Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, who is not connected with the IARC analysis.

Not getting enough sleep makes your immune system vulnerable to attack, and less able to fight off potentially cancerous cells.

Confusing your body’s natural rhythm can also lead to a breakdown of other essential tasks. “Timing is very important,” Rea said. Certain processes like cell division and DNA repair happen at regular times.

Even worse than working an overnight shift is flipping between daytime and overnight work.

“The problem is re-setting your body’s clock,”

This article continues with advice and links for more information. To access it CLICK HERE.

It looks like the owner of a red VW bug will not be getting his wish this year… the Hawaii Superferry is set to resume service. The Associated Press tells us;

Hawaii’s new inter-island ferry, idled for weeks by protesters and court rulings, will resume daily service between Honolulu and Maui beginning Dec. 1, the company said.

The announcement Friday came two days after a state judge ruled that the Hawaii Superferry can use Maui’s Kahului Harbor while an environmental assessment is being completed.

“We appreciate the support we’ve received from everyone who shares the vision of uniting our islands and families by sea,” Hawaii Superferry President and CEO John Garibaldi said. “Hawaii Superferry and its more than 300 employees look forward to a new beginning.”

Fred Fry had broken this story a few days ago but we have been waiting on a smaller decision by local courts before announcing the news. Yesterday that happened:

A Maui judge today lifted his previous order that only two vehicles per minute would be allowed to exit from the Hawaii Superferry site at Kahului Harbor.

The restriction was put in place in August by Maui Circuit Judge Joel August to address worries about congestion at one of the island’s busiest intersections. The two-vehicles-per-minute rule was opposed by ferry and state officials because it might cause lengthy delays for arriving passengers and could perhaps interfere with the high-speed catamaran’s turnaround time.

When the company’s 350-foot catamaran, Alakai, came to Maui on Aug. 27 - the last time it sailed to Kahului - it took 55 minutes to get the nearly 90 disembarking vehicles onto public roads instead of the 20 minutes predicted by ferry officials.

August today said he would drop the rule, ordering the state Department of Transportation instead to provide three trained personnel to manage the traffic flow based “on real-time conditions.” The 350-foot vessel is due to resume Maui service Dec. 1. The ferry will depart Honolulu at 6:30 a.m. and arrive at Kahului Harbor three hours later. (Read more from The Honolulu Advisor)

If your looking to catch up to speed on the reasons behind the shutdown take a look at the comments found HERE.