Airline Crews Lead Radiation Cancer Toll in Harvard Analysis of 12.7 Million US Deaths

A pilot at the controls during a flight, where reduced atmospheric shielding at cruising altitude increases exposure to cosmic radiation (Credit: Rafael Cosquiere/Pexels)

Flight attendants and pilots have the highest and second-highest share of deaths from radiation-linked cancers among more than 500 US occupations, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The analysis, led by Dr Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, drew on more than 12.7 million US death certificates recorded between 2020 and 2024.