Pilots And Flight Attendants Face Higher Risk Of Radiation-Linked Cancer Deaths: Study

People who spend their careers in the skies may face a hidden health risk. A new study has found that flight attendants and pilots have the highest rates of radiation-related cancer deaths among more than 500 occupations, highlighting the potential impact of long-term exposure to cosmic radiation during flights.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School analysed death certificate data for about 12.7 million people who died in the US between 2020 and 2024. The study covered 503 occupations and compared deaths linked to cancers that can be associated with radiation exposure.

Flight attendants ranked first, while pilots came second. The researchers found that radiation-related cancers accounted for a higher proportion of deaths in these two occupations than in other jobs examined, including nuclear medicine-related professions.

Flight attendants had about a 50 per cent higher risk of radiation-related cancer mortality compared with the other occupational groups in the analysis. For pilots, the figure was about 36 per cent higher. However, the researchers did not find that aircrew had unusually high levels of cancer overall. Their results for cancers not considered radiation-related were close to the middle of the occupations studied.

The main concern is cosmic radiation. Earth's atmosphere provides protection from high-energy particles coming from space, but that protection becomes weaker at commercial flight altitudes. The amount of exposure can also vary depending on flight time, flight path and latitude.

Aircrew members are estimated to receive between 3 and 6 millisieverts of cosmic radiation each year. That is considerably more than the estimated 0.4 millisieverts received by an air traveller taking 10 cross-country return flights a year.

The study does not prove that cosmic radiation caused the cancers recorded among pilots and flight attendants. Other factors may also contribute to cancer risk. Researchers and outside experts have pointed to possible influences including ultraviolet radiation entering aircraft windows and disruption to sleep and body clocks caused by night and shift work.

The researchers say the findings raise questions about whether aircrew should receive stronger workplace protections against radiation exposure.

"The Federal Aviation Administration formally recognizes aircrew as occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation, yet unlike other radiation-exposed workers or aircrew in other countries, US aircrew are not subject to federal dose limits or monitoring requirements," Patel and his team write.

"These findings support consideration of occupational radiation protections for aircrew members commensurate with their exposure level."

The study highlights a potential occupational health issue for people who spend thousands of hours in the air during their careers. The researchers say better monitoring and health checks could help assess and manage the risks faced by aircrew.

The findings are reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.