When considering the job-related dangers for flight attendants, issues like motion sickness or jet lag often come to mind. However, fresh research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health indicates they also experience elevated rates of specific cancers.
The study, featured in the journal Environmental Health, discovered that compared to the general population, U.S. flight attendants exhibit a higher frequency of several cancer types, including breast, uterine, gastrointestinal, thyroid, nonmelanoma skin, and cervical cancers.
“Our findings of increased rates of multiple cancers among flight attendants are notable, especially given the low prevalence of overweight and smoking in our study group. This raises the question of what actions can be taken to reduce harmful exposures and cancers common among cabin crew,” stated Dr. Irina Mordukhovich, a research fellow at Harvard Chan School and the study’s corresponding author.
What drives these higher cancer rates? According to the research, it stems from a combination of factors: regular exposure to known and probable carcinogens (such as cosmic ionizing radiation), disturbed sleep patterns and circadian rhythms, and potential chemical contaminants within aircraft cabins. Additionally, many current flight attendants have spent years in the profession—including the era before the in-air smoking ban—subjecting them to years of recirculated secondhand smoke.
The authors highlighted that flight attendants typically tend to be nonsmokers and maintain a healthy weight—traits often linked to a healthier lifestyle—making the elevated cancer rates even more striking.
Despite these recognized risks, flight attendants were excluded from Occupational Safety and Health Administration protections usually afforded to American workers until 2014, when limited safeguards were introduced (though these do not include monitoring or regulating radiation exposure). The study data originated from the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study, which began surveying cabin crew about their health and behaviors in 2007.
To protect flight attendants’ well-being, the authors recommend U.S. action to minimize cancer risk, including monitoring radiation doses and organizing schedules to reduce radiation exposure and circadian rhythm disruptions.
“The E.U. already evaluates radiation exposure among flight attendants, and our results suggest this could be a key step in lowering cancer risk for this workforce,” remarked Eileen McNeely, director of Harvard SHINE, in a statement.
What does this mean for frequent travelers? The study’s authors note that their findings may also apply to passengers, but it remains unclear how often someone would need to fly to encounter the same carcinogen levels as cabin crew. Even if you feel like you’re constantly on a plane and fly once a week, it’s still far less time in the air and on the tarmac than flight attendants—so there’s no need to cancel those vacation flights.
sheknows.com
