Scientists, both in Europe and the United States, have for years studied whether pilots and flight attendants are more at risk of getting cancer than other groups. One of these is Vilhjálmur Rafnsson, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine.
“Aircrews fly at such high altitudes that they are exposed to cosmic rays. Cosmic radiation is a specific type of ionizing radiation that, for the most part, stems from neutrons, and have more impact on organisms than gamma- or x-rays. Furthermore, aircrews experience disruption of their circadian clocks. The question is whether these factors can lead to cancer, and there are constantly more indications of that,” explains Rafnsson who has specialised in epidemiology research, research that pertains to the outbreak and cause of diseases between groups of people, and environmental impact on health.
Rafnsson points out the necessity of using epidemiological methods when studying whether people who are exposed to phenomena like cosmic rays are more prone to cancer than others. “The follow-up time can be long when studying the connection between the exposure and cancer and it is vital to consider other influential factors,” says Rafnsson. He adds that as aircrew personnel are relatively few in numbers in each country, a close international collaboration among scientists developed with a view to increase the statistical accuracy of the research.
The scope of a recent study carried out by the group was 94 thousand pilots and flight attendants in ten countries. “The results of that study do not indicate that aircrews are in imminent danger of getting cancer due to cosmic radiation. However, there was increased danger of melanoma with aircrews and breast cancer among air stewardesses that has not yet been explained,” says Rafnsson, and adds that it is very important to continue studying whether there are health risks inherent with working on a plane.
