Pilots, cabin crew ‘twice as likely to get skin cancer’

Airline pilots and cabin crews appear to have twice the risk of developing the skin cancer melanoma compared to the general population, a new review of past studies finds. This higher risk may be due to the increased exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation at higher altitudes, the researchers said. “At 9000 meters [about 30,000 feet], where most commercial aircraft fly, the UV level is approximately twice that of the ground,” they said. Moreover, flying over thick clouds and snow fields can further increase the amount of UV radiation that pilots and cabin crew are exposed to.

The windshields and cabin windows of airplanes seem to minimally block UVA radiation, and it is known that, for every additional 900 meters altitude above sea level, there is a 15 per cent increase in intensity of UV radiation.

Researchers at University of California

For the study, Dr. Martina Sanlorenzo of the University of California, San Francisco, and her colleagues pulled data from previous studies that examined rates of melanoma among pilots and cabin crew. An analysis of the studies’ findings showed that the rate of melanoma is more than double among pilots and cabin crew compared with the general population. Flight-based workers were also 40 per cent more likely to die from melanoma compared to the general population, according to the results published today.