Flight Crew Face Highest Radiation Cancer Risk: Study

Flight crew face highest radiation cancer risk: study

A new study has found that flight attendants and pilots face the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers among more than 500 occupations studied in the United States, surpassing even workers who handle radioactive materials directly.  The findings were published August 17, 2026, in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research, led by Dr. Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School, analyzed more than 12 million US death certificates from 2020 to…

Cabin crew at greater risk of radiation-based cancer than nuclear technologists, new study suggests

photobyphotoboy/Shutterstock.comWhat jobs are most associated with deaths from radiation-related cancer? Surprisingly, the answer is cabin crew and pilots – ahead of nuclear technologists, whose work involves handling radioactive materials used in medical imaging and treatment. That’s the finding of a new study that analysed more than 12.7 million death records from 2020 to 2024, covering more than 500 occupations. The researchers ranked the occ…

Higher Cancer Risk for Pilots and Cabin Crew Linked to Radiation: Study

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on August 17 has drawn attention to the potential health risks faced by pilots and cabin crew. The research examined cancer mortality across more than 500 occupations and found that these aviation professionals show elevated rates of deaths linked to cancers associated with radiation exposure. Specifically, 6.9 per cent of deaths among flight attendants and 6.7 per cent among pilots were attribu…