Report: Flying Doesn't Cause Cancer | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Fri, Jul 18, 2003

Report: Flying Doesn't Cause Cancer

Pilots Bring it On Themselves, Researcher Says

Contrary to results of some of the smaller studies that have been run in recent years, New Scientist magazine reported this week that a European study of frequent fliers did not indicate any greater risk of cancer than the general population.

The study enlisted 44,000 airline employees, from eight countries. The only group with a higher incidence of cancer than the general population were the front-seaters; but one of the researchers said that was a lifestyle thing: "Pilots go on vacation more often than other people and they get free flights. There's anecdotal evidence that they're in the sun more than other people," said Maria Blettner, of the University of Bielefeld in Germany.

Ms. Blettner did not mention that pilots sit in the sunlight much of the time, while cabin crew (and PAX) are in the shadow of the big tube, aft. The concerns that bothered researchers most, though, revolved around with cosmic rays, which are not blocked by the aircraft's body -- but which are dissipated to a great degree by atmosphere. Since there's a lot more atmosphere on the ground than at 35,000 feet, some reasoned, cosmic ray exposure should be less-damaging at lower altitudes. That's assuming that cosmic rays do cause cancer.

The New Scientist also noted, "Indeed, a separate study of 28,000 pilots, to be published by the same team in the International Journal of Cancer, found there were one third fewer deaths from cancer in pilots." Riddle me that...

FMI: article

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC