Study finds cabin crew, pilots face highest risk of radiation-linked cancer
Dhaka: Flight attendants and pilots face the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers among more than 500 occupations, according to a new study, exceeding even workers who handle radioactive materials directly.
Cosmic radiation originates from space, and while only a small portion reaches Earth's surface, exposure increases significantly at high flying altitudes, making aircrews particularly vulnerable to related health risks.
The study, published on August 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine, analyzed national data from more than 12 million death certificates containing occupational information. Researchers examined death rates from cancers linked to radiation, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the skin, breast, thyroid, prostate, and central nervous system.
Flight attendants recorded the highest percentage of deaths from radiation-related cancers, with pilots ranking second. Both groups showed unusually elevated odds of dying from each individual type of radiation-linked cancer examined in the research.
Flight attendants had roughly 50% higher odds of dying from a radiation-related cancer compared to the general working population, while pilots showed about 36% higher odds, the study found.
In absolute terms, about 6.9% of flight attendant deaths stemmed from these cancers, compared with 6.7% among pilots and 5% for the general working population, said lead author Dr. Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School.
Neither profession showed elevated death rates from cancers unrelated to radiation, according to commentary authors Catherine Olsen and Ken Karipidis, Australian radiation experts not involved in the study. They said this supports occupational radiation exposure, rather than lifestyle factors, as the likely cause.
The researchers acknowledged limitations, noting they could not determine actual exposure levels for individual flight attendants and pilots nor rule out possible misclassification of occupations on some death certificates.
The study also could not account for circadian disruption from jet lag and irregular schedules, which may independently affect cancer risk among aircrews.
The US Federal Aviation Administration acknowledges that aircrews face ionizing radiation exposure but does not set federal dose limits or mandate monitoring, the authors noted.
Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 55,000 flight attendants, said crew members remain uninformed despite known risks, with no party taking responsibility for addressing the issue.
Olsen and Karipidis recommended annual skin examinations for high-altitude aircrew and suggested women in these professions consider earlier or more frequent mammograms. They also urged physicians treating pilots and flight attendants to maintain heightened vigilance for cancer symptoms during evaluations.
