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 reveals that flight attendants and pilots face the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers, surpassing even workers handling radioactive materials.
• The research analyzed over 12 million death certificates and found flight attendants had about 50% higher odds, and pilots about 36% higher odds, of dying from cancers linked to radiation exposure compared to the general working population.
• Radiation-related cancers examined include leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the skin, breast, thyroid, prostate, and central nervous system, with neither pilots nor flight attendants showing increased deaths from cancers unrelated to radiation.
• Limitations of the study include unknown individual radiation exposure levels and potential misclassification of occupations; disruptions to circadian rhythms from irregular schedules may also contribute to cancer risk.
• The Federal Aviation Administration currently does not set federal dose limits or require monitoring of ionizing radiation exposure for aircrews, prompting calls from union leaders and experts for better education, monitoring, and preventive health measures for flight personnel.