Re: [OEM] Flight Attendant Breast CA Debate, BMJ

["Björn Cedervall" <bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com>]

Radsafers,

Did anyone consider the disturbance of the circadian
rythm of flight attendants? Flight attendants crossing
large time zones should be expected to experience
frequent biological shocks due to erroneous phasing
of the melatonin production (which is involved in the
control of estrogen production).

Relative increases such as 60 to 100 percent (if this
is what we are discussing) in the most common (western)
female form of cancer is indeed extreme. A study where
cross-oceanic flight attendants (or cross Europe-Asia)
etc is compared with say flight attendants moving mainly
"north-south" (control) might shed some insight. If no
difference is found - a melatonin-based hypothesis can
probably be ruled out. If not... we may want to turn out
some lights... (think about the information regarding
breast cancer incidence of Japanese women also).

bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com
Depts. Medical Radiation Biology & Medical Radiation Physics,
Karolinska Institutet, Box 260, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Fax: Int + 468 343525 (Med. Radiation Physics)
Website: http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Exchange/8256/
Any opinions expressed above are those of mine and may not necessarily 
coincide with those of others.


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html