«
»

Top

Cabin crew exposed to greater cancer risk, study finds

Published 12 Jul 2018 • Updated 23 May 2019 • By Léa Blaszczynski

Cabin crew exposed to greater cancer risk, study finds

Scientists discovered a higher prevalence in flight attendants of every cancer outcome examined in the study, compared with the general population.

flight

Flight attendants are more likely to develop several forms of cancer than the average person, a landmark study of more than 5,000 members of cabin crew has found.

Accounting for age, scientists discovered a higher prevalence in flight crew of every cancer outcome examined in the study, compared with the general population.

This includes breast (3.4% of flight crew compared with 2.3% in the general population), uterine (0.15% compared with 0.13%), cervical (1.0% compared with 0.70%), gastrointestinal (0.47% compared with 0.27%), and thyroid (0.67% compared with 0.56%) cancers.

Scientists said the findings, including the first results into an elevated rate of non-melanoma skin cancer, are particularly worrying considering the relative good health of the flight attendants included in the sample.

Dr Irina Mordukhovich, corresponding author of the study at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, appearing in the Environmental Health journal, said: “Our study is among the largest and most comprehensive studies of cancer among cabin crew to date and we profiled a wide range of cancers.

“Consistent with previous studies, we report a higher lifetime prevalence of breast, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers among flight crew relative to the general population.

“This is striking given the low rates of overweight and smoking in this occupational group.”

Flight attendants are consistently exposed to several known and probable carcinogens in the cabin environment, which include altitude-based radiation, disruption to the body clock through irregular and anti-social shift patterns, and poor air quality inside the cabin.

Many flight attendants were also exposed to high levels of secondhand tobacco smoke before in-flight smoking bans were implemented.

The authors found an association between each five-year increase in time spent working as a flight attendant and non-melanoma skin cancer among women.

Job tenure did not appear to be associated with breast cancer, thyroid cancer, or melanoma in all women, but it was associated with higher risk of breast cancer in women who never had children and women who had three or more children, researchers said.

Any current or former US flight attendant was eligible to participate in the study, with the vast majority (91%) currently employed in a cabin crew role.

The study of 5,366 attendants working on domestic and international flights in the States did not examine the health impact of frequent flying among airline passengers.

Authors said the findings suggested additional efforts should be made to minimise the risk of cancer among flight attendants, including monitoring radiation dose and organising schedules.

BT

avatar Léa Blaszczynski

Author: Léa Blaszczynski, Health Writer, Communication Expert

At Carenity since 2013, writing health articles holds no secrets for Léa. She has a particular interest in the fields of psychology, nutrition, and physical activity.

Léa holds a master's degree in... >> Learn more

Comments

You will also like

World Cancer Day: Facts and Insights!

Adamantinoma
Adrenocortical carcinoma
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Bladder cancer
Brain tumour
Breast cancer
Cancer
Catecholamine-secreting tumour
Cervical cancer
Colorectal cancer
Cutaneous lymphoma
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Endocrine cancer
Endocrine tumour
Endometrial cancer
Enteropancreatic endocrine tumour
Ewing sarcoma
Follicular lymphoma
Gallbladder cancer
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour
Glial tumour
Hodgkin lymphoma
Kaposi sarcoma
Larynx cancer
Leukemia
Liver cancer
Lung cancer
Malignant tumour of the fallopian tube
Mantle cell lymphoma
Merkel tumour
Mesothelioma
Multiple endocrine neoplasia
Multiple myeloma
Nephroblastoma
Neuroblastoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Ollier disease
Osteosarcoma
Pancreatic cancer
Pheochromocytoma
Primary peritoneal tumour
Prostate cancer
Pseudomyxoma peritonei
Rare bone tumour
Renal cancer
Rhabdoid tumour
Sézary syndrome
Skin cancer
Small cell lung cancer
Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck
Systemic mastocytosis
Testicular cancer
Thyroid cancer
Tumours of the heart
Waldenström macroglobulinemia
xyz_Colon cancer

World Cancer Day: Facts and Insights!

Read the article
Telling patients to 'fight' cancer puts them under pressure

Adamantinoma
Adrenocortical carcinoma
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Bladder cancer
Brain tumour
Breast cancer
Cancer
Catecholamine-secreting tumour
Cervical cancer
Colorectal cancer
Cutaneous lymphoma
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Endocrine cancer
Endocrine tumour
Endometrial cancer
Enteropancreatic endocrine tumour
Ewing sarcoma
Follicular lymphoma
Gallbladder cancer
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour
Glial tumour
Hodgkin lymphoma
Kaposi sarcoma
Larynx cancer
Leukemia
Liver cancer
Lung cancer
Malignant tumour of the fallopian tube
Mantle cell lymphoma
Merkel tumour
Mesothelioma
Multiple endocrine neoplasia
Multiple myeloma
Nephroblastoma
Neuroblastoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Ollier disease
Osteosarcoma
Pancreatic cancer
Pheochromocytoma
Primary peritoneal tumour
Prostate cancer
Pseudomyxoma peritonei
Rare bone tumour
Renal cancer
Rhabdoid tumour
Sézary syndrome
Skin cancer
Small cell lung cancer
Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck
Systemic mastocytosis
Testicular cancer
Thyroid cancer
Tumours of the heart
Waldenström macroglobulinemia
xyz_Colon cancer

Telling patients to 'fight' cancer puts them under pressure

Read the article
Cancer death rate to be cut by 22,000 using artificial intelligence – PM

Cancer

Cancer death rate to be cut by 22,000 using artificial intelligence – PM

Read the article
Lung cancer destroyed with tea leaf nanoparticles

Bladder cancer
Brain tumour
Breast cancer
Cancer
Cervical cancer
Endocrine cancer
Endometrial cancer
Gallbladder cancer
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour
Larynx cancer
Liver cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Renal cancer
Testicular cancer
Thyroid cancer
xyz_Colon cancer

Lung cancer destroyed with tea leaf nanoparticles

Read the article

Most commented discussions

Fact sheets