The job that increases cancer risk? New study warns those who work in the air

A new Harvard study, examining nearly 13 million death certificates and over 500 occupations, found that pilots and flight attendants show elevated mortality rates from cancers linked to ionizing cosmic radiation, including breast, prostate, melanoma, and central nervous system tumors. Researchers emphasize that a causal link has not been proven.

A new study by researchers at Harvard University, which examined nearly 13 million death certificates and over 500 occupations, found that pilots and flight attendants are at increased risk of mortality from cancers associated with exposure to ionizing cosmic radiation. The study focused on cancer types previously linked to radiation exposure, including breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, central nervous system tumors, and melanoma. Lung cancer was excluded from this group to minimize the impact of smoking on the results. Among pilots and flight attendants, statistically significant higher mortality rates were found for breast cancer, prostate cancer, central nervous system tumors, and melanoma. Among pilots, a higher mortality rate from leukemia was also found. Overall, 6.9% of deaths among flight attendants and 6.7% of deaths among pilots were related to the cancer types examined as radiation-linked – rates higher than those found in all other occupations examined. In contrast, no similar gaps were found for cancer types not linked to radiation. The researchers explain that exposure may accumulate over a career, as aircrew are exposed annually to a significantly larger amount of cosmic radiation compared to ordinary passengers. However, the researchers emphasize that the study does not prove that cosmic radiation directly caused the increase in cancer mortality, as it is an observational study. Additionally, the researchers lacked data on the individual exposure levels of each pilot or flight attendant, and other lifestyle or work condition factors may influence the results. For regular passengers, the researchers stress that the findings should not raise similar concern.