U.S. pilots and flight attendants may face a significantly higher risk of radiation-related cancer mortality, according to a recent Harvard study analyzing nearly 13 million death certificates.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard University indicates that individuals working as pilots and flight attendants in the United States are at a heightened risk for certain types of cancers, particularly those related to radiation exposure. The study highlights that these professions have the highest mortality rates from radiation-related cancers among over 500 occupations analyzed.
According to Anupam B. Jena, M.D., Ph.D., one of the study’s authors, the increased risk is primarily due to exposure to cosmic radiation, which occurs at higher altitudes. “As you get high up in the atmosphere, you’re exposed to ionizing radiation from the sun,” Jena explained in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The findings stem from an analysis of data sourced from the National Vital Statistics System, which included nearly 13 million U.S. death certificates recorded between 2020 and 2024. Among these records, approximately 14,000 were pilots and 7,000 were flight attendants.
The research team examined mortality rates associated with various radiation-related cancers, including breast cancer, multiple myeloma, leukemia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia), lymphoma, central nervous system cancers, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers. Notably, lung cancer was excluded from the analysis to avoid confounding results with smoking-related risks.
The study revealed that pilots and flight attendants exhibited “statistically significant” higher mortality rates linked to breast cancer, central nervous system cancers, prostate cancers, and melanoma. Additionally, pilots were found to have an increased likelihood of dying from leukemia.
Among the deaths recorded for flight attendants, 6.9% were attributed to radiation-related cancers, while 6.7% of pilots’ deaths fell into the same category. These figures were notably higher than those observed in other occupations analyzed in the study.
For cancers not associated with radiation, the mortality rates for pilots and flight attendants were comparable to those of other professions. Jena emphasized that the elevated cancer risk is not solely attributable to lifestyle factors or individual characteristics, stating, “It’s not just lifestyle factors or factors about these individuals that are making them more likely to develop cancer at large.”
The study was published on August 17 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Jena noted that the increase in cancer risk is significant enough to warrant attention, stating, “Our study doesn’t speak to the individual pilot or flight attendant, but more so to the two groups as a whole.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), airline workers are exposed to approximately 3 to 6 millisieverts of cosmic radiation annually, compared to just 0.4 millisieverts for individuals who take ten round-trip cross-country flights. This means that airline workers may receive roughly eight to fifteen times the annual cosmic radiation exposure of a typical passenger.
Jena pointed out that the risk associated with cosmic radiation is cumulative, suggesting that prolonged exposure increases the likelihood of developing cancer. “The more time that you’re exposed to that cosmic radiation, the greater the increase in risk that you might experience,” he noted.
The findings raise important questions about the adequacy of cancer screening for U.S. pilots and flight attendants. Jena suggested that these workers may require more frequent or earlier screenings than the general population. “I think the level of screening may need to be higher,” he said, highlighting that screening practices can vary significantly between the U.S. and other countries.
For those who fly occasionally for business or leisure, Jena reassured that the findings should not be a cause for alarm. He emphasized that very few passengers accumulate flight time comparable to that of pilots and flight attendants, stating, “This is really sort of a consideration for people who spend their life in the air.”
However, the study does have limitations. As an observational study, it cannot definitively establish a causal relationship between cosmic radiation and elevated cancer mortality among pilots and flight attendants, only that an association exists. Additionally, the researchers lacked access to individual workers’ radiation exposure data, preventing them from determining whether those with greater exposure faced higher risks. Other occupational or lifestyle factors may also contribute to the observed findings.
These insights into the health risks faced by airline workers underscore the need for ongoing research and consideration of enhanced health monitoring for those in high-risk occupations, according to Fox News.