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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
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Published on: August 19, 2025
Occupational exposure to UV light and mortality from multiple sclerosis
M Westberg1, M Feychting, F Jonsson
1Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Stockholm Centre for Public Health, Stockholm, Sweden. mattias_westberg@hotmail.com
Background:
The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is largely unknown; low exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light has been a suggested risk factor. The aim of this study was to investigate whether occupational exposure to UV light reduces the risk of death from MS.
Methods:
The cohort was based on all individuals in the Swedish census in 1980. All MS-related deaths were identified in the national registry of causes of death. A job-exposure matrix was developed to classify the occupational exposure to UV light.
Results:
MS was recorded as a cause of the death for 839 individuals. The risk of MS-related death decreased with increasing occupational exposure to UV light. The relative risk adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status was 0.48 (95% CI 0.28-0.80) in the high-exposure group and 0.88 (95% CI 0.73-1.06) in the intermediate-exposure group.
Conclusions:
Occupational exposure to UV light was associated with a reduced risk of MS. Our findings are corroborated by previous observations that UV light has a preventive role in the development of MS, although the possibility of reversed causality cannot be completely ruled out.
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