Full Transcript Study on Flying and Cancer Risk 0:00 Does flying increase the risk of cancer? 0:02 If you spend a lot of time flying, or especially if you work as a pilot or flight attendant, there is a new study you should know about. 0:09 A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2026 found that pilots and flight attendants had some of the highest rates of deaths from cancers that researchers 0:19 classified as potentially related to radiation exposure. 0:23 And there is a biological reason researchers are interested in this question. 0:27 Every time an airplane climbs to cruising altitude, the people onboard are exposed to higher levels of cosmic ionizing radiation than people on the ground. 0:36 Well, that just makes sense. 0:38 But for an occasional traveler, this exposure is relatively small, but for pilots and flight attendants who may spend hundreds of hours in the air every year, 0:47 for decades, the cumulative exposure becomes much more important. 0:51 Let's look at what this new study actually found, why flying exposes you to more radiation, and what people who fly frequently can potentially do to reduce 1:01 their exposure. 1:02 Now the study was conducted by researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital. 1:10 The researchers analyzed more than 12 million deaths in the United States occurring between years 2020 and 2024. They examined more than 500 different 1:20 occupations including over 14,000 pilots and over 7,00 flight attendants. 1:25 Now this is an important point because many earlier studies of flight crews included much smaller numbers of people. 1:31 The researchers focused on cancers that previous radiation research has associated with ionizing radiation.
Who Was Studied and Which Cancers Were Included 1:39 And they included breast cancer, cancers of the nervous system, including brain cancer multiple myeloma, leukemias, lymphoma, 1:47 thyroid cancer, prostate cancer melanoma and actually non-melanoma skin cancers. 1:52 Now they intentionally excluded lung cancer from this category because cigarette smoking is such a powerful risk factor for lung, 2:00 cancer that it would significantly complicate the analysis. 2:03 And the researchers adjusted the results for factors including age at death, sex, race, ethnicity, education, and marital status. 2:11 The findings were striking. 2:12 Of the more than 500 occupations examined, flight attendants had the highest risk-adjusted percentage of deaths from radiation-related cancers at 6.9%. 2:23 Pilots were second at When compared with people in all other occupations, flight attendants had approximately 50% higher adjusted odds of dying from one 2:36 of these radiation-associated cancers. 2:39 And pilots had about 36% more adjusted. 2:44 I want to explain that carefully because this type of statistic is easily misunderstood. 2:48 This does not mean that flight attendants have a 50% greater chance of developing cancer during their lifetime. 2:54 The study looked at people who had already died and asked what proportion of deaths in different occupations were attributed to these particular cancers. 3:03 So the proper interpretation is that among deceased flight attendants, the adjusted odds that the cause of death was one of these radiation related cancers 3:12 was approximately 50% higher than among people from other occupations. 3:17 For breast cancer mortality, The adjusted Odds were approximately 61% Higher among flight Attendants and 57% high among pilots compared with other Occupations 3:27 for prostate cancer Mortality. 3:29 The odds were Approximately 75% High among Flight. 3:32 attendance and 38 percent higher among pilots.
Key Findings for Flight Attendants and Pilots 3:36 The researchers also found statistically significant elevations involving central nervous system cancers like I mentioned before and melanoma in both pilots 3:44 and the flight attendants. 3:46 Interestingly, when researchers looked at cancers that were not classified as radiation related, pilots in flight attendance were much closer to the middle 3:54 of the pack among the occupations studied. 3:57 That makes the findings more interesting because The increase was not simply seen across every type of cancer. 4:04 The researchers also included some clever comparison groups. 4:07 For example, aircraft mechanics and aircraft assemblers work around airplanes but do not spend thousands of hours flying at high altitude. 4:15 These groups did not demonstrate the same elevation in radiation-related cancer mortality, which would make sense. 4:21 Researchers also looked at nuclear technologists who have known occupational exposure to ionizing radiation. 4:28 nuclear technologists ranked near the top for radiation related cancer mortality as well. 4:34 Again, none of this proves directly that cosmic radiation caused the cancers, but the pattern certainly raises an important question and one that's been 4:43 concerning for many years. 4:44 So what exactly is cosmic? 4:47 Well, the earth is constantly being bombarded by high energy particles originate from outside our atmosphere. 4:54 Fortunately, your atmosphere provides an enormous amount of protection. 4:58 But when you fly at 30,000 to 40, 000 feet, there is much less atmosphere above you shielding you from this radiation. 5:06 The CDC has told us that pilots and flight attendants are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation on every flight. 5:12 And ionising radiation is different from things such as radio waves or normal visible light because it carries enough energy to damage molecules inside 5:21 the cells, including DNA. 5:23 And when DNA is damaged, your cells have extensive repair systems designed to correct that damage, but that doesn't always protect a person 100% of the time.
Why Flying Increases Radiation Exposure 5:34 So if DNA damage is not repaired correctly, mutations can occur and this can lead to the development of abnormal cell replication and cancer. 5:43 and so with flying the dose generally increases with altitude because there is less atmosphere protecting you it also increases. 5:51 With latitude flights traveling closer to the north or south pole generally receive more cosmic radiation than flights closer. 5:58 To the equator because the earth's magnetic field provides less protection in polar regions that means that long distance flights across northern routes 6:07 can produce substantially greater radiation exposure than shorter flights of lower latitudes. 6:13 Now the amount also varies with solar activity and occasionally the sun releases large bursts of energetic particles called solar particle events. 6:21 These events can temporarily increase radiation levels at aircraft altitudes Now, the Federal Aviation Administration actually developed a computer program 6:30 that can estimate the cosmic radiation those received on a particular flight based on altitude, geographic location, solar activity, 6:39 and the flight route. 6:41 Now there's another important issue that may be affecting pilots and flight attendants besides radiation, and that is circadian rhythm disruption. 6:50 Pilots and Flight Attendants frequently work overnight, sleep at unusual times and repeatedly across multiple time zones. 6:58 Your body operates according to roughly a 24-hour biological clock called the circadian rhythm. 7:04 This clock helps to regulate sleep, hormones, immune function, metabolism, your body temperature, DNA repair, and many other critical biological processes. 7:16 Constantly shifting the light dark cycle and sleeping when your buddy expects to be awake can disrupt these rhythms. 7:23 The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified night shift work involving circadian disruption as probably cancer causing to humans. 7:33 So when we discuss cancer risk amongst aircrew, cosmic radiation may not be acting alone. 7:39 There may be a combination of exposures involving cosmic ionizing radiation, circadian disruption, irregular sleep, and possibly ultraviolet radiation 7:50 particularly amongst pilots. 7:51 Now melanoma skin cancer deserves special attention.
Other Risks: Circadian Disruption and Melanoma 7:55 A previous meta-analysis published in JAMA Dermatology examined 19 studies involving more than 260,000 people working in flight-based occupations. 8:05 The researchers found that the incidence of melanoma among pilots and cabin crew was approximately twice that of the general population. 8:13 Again, this doesn't necessarily mean that cosmic radiation causes melanomas, but we do know that ultraviolet radiation can contribute, 8:21 particularly for pilots, because some of the UV radiation can penetrate certain cockpit windows. 8:28 But also lifestyle factors, including recreational sun exposure, could also contribute. 8:33 Now, like any studies, this new study has some limitations. 8:37 First is based on death certificates, not medical records tracking workers throughout their careers. 8:43 Second, researchers knew a person's usual occupation, but they did not know exactly how many years each person worked, many hours they flew, 8:51 which routes they've flew or their cumulative radiation dose. 8:55 A pilot flying short domestic routes for 10 years could have very different radiation exposure from someone flying polar international routes. 9:03 For 30 years the researchers also cannot fully adjust for every cancer risk factor including smoking history, alcohol use, 9:10 diet, exercise, reproductive history, family history genetic susceptibilities, ultraviolet exposure and other environmental exposures. 9:20 And most importantly, it wasn't observational studies. 9:23 and as we know, observations studies don't always prove cause and effect. 9:27 But when you combine this new study with decades of research showing higher cosmic radiation exposure in aircrew, higher rates of melanoma in multiple studies, 9:36 evidence involving breast cancer and flight attendants, and earlier studies relating cumulative radiation exposures to certain cancers and pilots, 9:44 there's enough evidence that I believe occupational exposure of course, deserves serious attention. 9:51 So what can pilots, flight attendants, and frequent flyers do to protect themselves? 9:56 Well, for someone who flies occasionally for vacations or business, I would not panic at all.
Study Limitations and What Frequent Flyers Can Do 10:01 Your cumulative exposure is dramatically lower than someone working hundreds of hours in the air every year. 10:07 However, a professional air crew Cumulative exposure is worth considering and it definitely appears to be a risk. 10:14 So people that fly a lot, especially aircrew, can estimate their radiation exposure with the tools and programs I mentioned earlier. 10:21 This easily can be done so you can get an estimate of your risk and if you fly, a certainly you need to protect your circadian health. 10:29 That means making sleep a medical priority, not an afterthought. 10:34 Whenever scheduling permits, try to maintain regular sleep and wake times, obtain sufficient sleep, keep sleep environments dark and cool, 10:42 and limit unnecessary disruption of your biological clock. 10:46 And again, if you have to fly a lot for your occupation or business, then you'll have address the other things which can contribute to cancer. 10:54 You have to maintain a healthy body weight, exercise regularly, eat a nutrient-dense diet rich in vegetables and whole foods, 11:01 you need to avoid tobacco, really limit or do not consume any alcohol, and maintain healthy vitamin D levels. 11:09 Some people just have to fly a lot, their business, or if they're part of the air crew. 11:13 And it'd be nice if there were more studies on things which could protect them, the ways they could be more proactive. 11:18 For example, experimental studies have found that melatonin can reduce DNA and cellular damage caused by ionizing radiation. 11:26 In one small human study, volunteers took melotonin before their blood cells were exposed to gamma radiation, and researchers found significantly less 11:35 DNA damage and fewer chromosomal abnormalities. 11:38 Animal studies have demonstrated substantial radioprotective effects. 11:42 However, we do not yet have clinical trials showing that melatonin prevents cancer in pilots or flight attendants exposed to cosmic radiation. 11:51 Other natural agents which would be worth considering until we have more research which are safe and effective. 11:56 N-acetylcysteine, selenium, curcumin from turmeric, spirulina, quercetin, resveratrol, chlorella, vitamin C and E. 12:05 These all have some preliminary evidence that they protect against radiation exposure. 12:11 But again, we don't have any conclusive data, unfortunately, of studies showing that it dramatically reduces your risk. 12:17 So I'm hoping there will be more studies in this area because we definitely need them. 12:20 Well, I hope you found this video helpful. 12:23 And if you liked it, make sure to hit the like button and subscribe to the channel if haven't subscribed yet. 12:28 I look forward to talking to you about another health issue here in the upcoming edition of Dr. 12:34 Stengler's Health Breakthroughs.
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