Are there any studies linking breast cancer with working as a crew member on an aircraft?
Yes- past studies have indicated that there is an increased incidence of breast cancer among female airline cabin attendants compared to the average public. However, the cause of the increase is a subject of debate. Currently, there are at least two large European studies in progress that are looking at incidences of cancer (not just breast cancer) and cancer deaths among aircraft crew members both male and female. One of the studies involves 10 countries and 30,000 pilots and 45,000 members of cabin crews. Unfortunately, it will be a few years before these studies are completed. The cause of breast cancer increase among female cabin attendants has been attributed to exposure to higher levels of cosmic radiation from traveling at high altitudes, exposure to the pesticide DDT that was sprayed on some international flights between 1950-1970, and also to the demographics of flight attendants (i.e. the age of first pregnancy and the number of children born by attendants). More studies must
