Flight attendants and pilots have highest risk of dying from radiation-linked cancers, study says

Key Points:

• A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine finds that flight attendants and pilots have the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers, surpassing even workers handling radioactive materials, due to increased exposure to cosmic radiation at high altitudes.
• Analysis of over 12 million death certificates revealed flight attendants had about 50% higher odds and pilots about 36% higher odds of dying from cancers linked to radiation compared to the general working population.
• The study noted no increased death rates from cancers unrelated to radiation in these groups, suggesting occupational radiation exposure as the primary cause rather than lifestyle or socioeconomic factors.
• Limitations include unknown individual radiation doses and potential misclassification of occupations; disruption of circadian rhythms from irregular schedules may also contribute to cancer risk.
• The Federal Aviation Administration does not currently set dose limits or require radiation monitoring for aircrew, prompting calls from experts and unions for better education, monitoring, and preventive health measures such as regular skin exams and earlier mammograms.