The Week India - July 29, 2018

QUICK SCAN

8 THE WEEK · JULY 29, 2018

HEALTH

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HAVE A

HIGHER CANCER RISK

Flight attendants have a higher risk for

several cancers, including breast cancer,

uterine cancer, gastrointestinal cancer,

thyroid cancer, skin cancer and cervical

cancer, according to a Harvard study

published in the journal Environmental

Health.

The findings were based on 5,366 flight

attendants, average age 52 years, who

answered questions about their flight

schedules and cancer diagnoses. They

were compared to 2,729 adults with similar

socioeconomic status.

Flight attendants had a higher prevalence

of every cancer studied, including a 51 per

cent greater risk of breast cancer, more

than double the risk of melanoma and a

four-fold greater risk of non-melanoma

skin cancers.

The risk for non-melanoma skin cancers

increased with the number of years at the

job. Flight attendants are regularly exposed

to a number of known and probable

carcinogens, including cosmic ionising

radiation (radiation at higher altitudes),

disruption of sleep cycles and circadian

rhythms, irregular schedules, constant

travel through different time zones,