Flight attendants have higher rates of many cancers, study finds

Flight attendants are exposed to a number of known cancer risks, but few studies have rigorously quantified this risk, and the researchers say that they are a poorly studied occupational group.

The Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study, undertaken in 2007, addresses some of the gaps in the understanding of health risks among flight attendants. In the latest report, published in the journal Environmental HealthThe researchers found that flight attendants had higher rates of many cancers, including breast cancer and melanoma, compared to the general population.

The FAHS included more than 5,300 flight attendants who were recruited through online and posted surveys, and given in person at airports. Flight attendants answered questions about their flight schedules, as well as about cancer diagnoses. The researchers, led by Irina Mordukhovich, research associate at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, then compared the responses to those of a group of people not affiliated with the air carrier profession. an ongoing national health survey.

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Mordukhovich found a higher prevalence of breast, melanoma, uterine, gastrointestinal tract, thyroid and cervical cancers among flight attendants compared to the general public. The study also revealed for the first time a higher rate of non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, in flight attendants.

The prevalence of breast cancer, melanoma and cancers other than melanoma was particularly striking, says Mordukhovich. Flight attendants had a 51% higher prevalence of breast cancer, more than twice the prevalence of melanoma, and four times the prevalence of non-melanoma skin cancers compared to non-melanoma patients. part of the profession.

"Flight attendants are considered a professional group that has never been the subject of a comprehensive study, so we do not know much about their health," says Mordukhovich. "What we know for sure is the exhibits of the pilots and flight attendants-the main one being the high radiation levels because of cosmic radiation at altitude." This exposure may not be worrying for people flying individual. involve theft, this risk can have a negative effect on their health, as suggested by the results of the study.

While cosmic radiation comes from outer space, small amounts reach the earth and greater chances of exposure occur at higher altitudes. The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization has determined that ionizing radiation, like that found in cosmic radiation, can contribute to cancer in humans.

The National Radiation Protection and Measurement Council reports that flight crews are exposed to the highest annual radiation dose among US radiation workers. But there is no limit or regulation in the US on the safety of the show for flight attendants. (Other radiation protection workers have put in place certain workplace safety rules to protect them from exposure and limit exposure at risk.) The European Union regulates the schedules of Flight attendants and the flight time of pregnant hostesses to limit potentially dangerous exposures.

Flight attendants have also disrupted sleep schedules, as they frequently travel through time zones and are unable to maintain a regular circadian sleep-wake cycle. Other studies have linked shift work and disturbed circadian clocks to an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer, likely due to a reduced ability of DNA to repair itself and to how circadian processes can be related to immune function.

Mordukhovich says the results need to be repeated by other groups to confirm the risk, but the data should raise concerns about cancer risk for flight attendants. (The risk for pilots could be similar, but this study focused specifically on flight attendants.) The Association of Flight Attendants did not provide comments in time for publication.

The results are particularly disturbing given that, according to the data collected, flight attendants are in many ways healthier than the general public. They are, for example, less likely to smoke or be overweight, and have lower rates of heart disease.

"The fact that we are seeing higher cancer rates in this study population is really striking," she says. "We hope the study will highlight the exposure issues that we know are problematic for flight attendants and pilots and are not currently being addressed. We know of carcinogens to which flight crews are exposed, and we hope this study will allow people to start thinking about what should be done to put protective measures in place.