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Flight attendants may have a higher risk of a number of cancers, a new study finds. Researchers found that women and men on U.S. cabin crews have higher
rates of many types of cancer, compared with the general population. This includes cancers of the breast, cervix, skin, thyroid and uterus, as well as
gastrointestinal system cancers, which include colon, stomach, esophageal, liver and pancreatic cancers. One possible explanation for these increased
rates is that flight attendants are exposed to a lot of known and potential carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents, within their work environment, said
lead study author Irina Mordukhovich, a research associate at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. One of those carcinogens is cosmic
ionizing radiation, which is elevated at higher altitudes, Mordukhovich told Live Science. This type of radiation is particularly damaging to DNA and
is a known cause of breast cancer and nonmelanoma skin cancer, she said. Air cabin crews receive the highest yearly dose of ionizing radiation on the
job of all U.S. workers, she added. In the new study, the researchers looked at data from more than 5,300 flight attendants from different airlines who
completed an online survey as part of the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study. The analysis looked at the cancer rates in these flight attendants compared
to a group of about 2,700 people who had a similar income and educational status but were not flight attendants. The researchers found that in female
rates of many types of cancer, compared with the general population. This includes cancers of the breast, cervix, skin, thyroid and uterus, as well as
gastrointestinal system cancers, which include colon, stomach, esophageal, liver and pancreatic cancers. One possible explanation for these increased
rates is that flight attendants are exposed to a lot of known and potential carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents, within their work environment, said
lead study author Irina Mordukhovich, a research associate at Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. One of those carcinogens is cosmic
ionizing radiation, which is elevated at higher altitudes, Mordukhovich told Live Science. This type of radiation is particularly damaging to DNA and
is a known cause of breast cancer and nonmelanoma skin cancer, she said. Air cabin crews receive the highest yearly dose of ionizing radiation on the
job of all U.S. workers, she added. In the new study, the researchers looked at data from more than 5,300 flight attendants from different airlines who
completed an online survey as part of the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study. The analysis looked at the cancer rates in these flight attendants compared
to a group of about 2,700 people who had a similar income and educational status but were not flight attendants. The researchers found that in female
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