Study Ties Cosmic Radiation Exposure to Higher Cancer Mortality in Airline Crews
A study published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine highlights that flight attendants face the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers, with pilots not far behind. Analyzing over 12 million death certificates across more than 500 jobs, the findings show that flight attendants are about 50% more likely to die from these cancers than the average worker, while pilots' risk is up by 36%. The cancers of concern include leukaemia, lymphoma, and others affecting the skin, breast, thyroid, prostate, and central nervous system. Interestingly, neither group showed unusual cancer death rates unrelated to radiation. Australian experts Catherine Olsen and Ken Karipidis noted that cosmic radiation exposure from their roles is likely the main culprit, rather than lifestyle factors.
Key facts
- The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday.
- It analyzed over 12 million death certificates with occupational data.
- Flight attendants had the highest percentage of deaths from radiation-related cancers among more than 500 occupations.
- Pilots ranked second for radiation-related cancer deaths.
- Flight attendants had about 50% higher odds of death from such cancers than the general working population.
- Pilots had about 36% higher odds.
- Cancers examined included leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and skin, breast, thyroid, prostate, and central nervous system cancers.
- Commentators Catherine Olsen and Ken Karipidis noted that non-radiation cancer death rates were normal, supporting the radiation exposure hypothesis.
Entities
Institutions
- JAMA Internal Medicine
Locations
- Australia