Aviation workers face higher cancer death risk from cosmic radiation

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that pilots and flight attendants face a higher risk of death from cancers linked to radiation exposure. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital analyzed death-certificate data across 503 U.S. occupations to identify trends.

The findings indicate that flight attendants had the highest proportion of deaths from radiation-linked cancers, followed by pilots. The specific cancers identified include lymphoma, as well as breast, thyroid, and prostate cancers. The study noted that aviation workers receive the highest average annual effective dose of ionizing radiation of any U.S. workforce.

The increased risk is attributed to cosmic radiation, which becomes more intense at cruising altitudes of 30,000 to 40,000 feet as the Earth’s atmosphere provides less protection. While occasional passengers receive minimal exposure, aircrew members accumulate significant doses over thousands of flight hours. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates aircrew may receive between 3 to 6 millisieverts of cosmic radiation annually.