Leukemia risk higher in jet pilots

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Friday December 10 5:55 PM ET 

Leukemia risk higher in jet pilots  

NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters Health) -- Prolonged exposure to the cosmic 
radiation found at high altitudes may increase the risk of myeloid 
leukemia in pilots and other cockpit crew, Danish researchers report. 
 
The study also indicates that all pilots and cockpit crew members, 
not just ones that have been flying for many years, may be more 
likely to develop skin cancer, although exposure to sunlight, rather 
than radiation, is a more likely cause.  

Previous research has suggested that airplane crew members have a 
slightly higher risk of cancer than the rest of the population, but 
until now there has not been a nationwide study that examined the 
rate of cancer in all pilots and crew members flying for commercial 
airlines, note Drs. Maryanne Gundestrup and Hans H. Storm, of the 
Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen.  

In the new study, published in the December 11th issue of The Lancet, 
participants included 3,877 pilots and other cockpit crew licensed to 
fly in Denmark since 1946. To calculate the cancer rates, the 
researchers relied on a national registry of all cancer cases in 
Denmark.  

According to the report, acute myeloid leukemia was 5.1 times more 
common than expected in jet pilots who had flown more than 5,000 
total hours during their careers.  

``This finding could be related to cosmic radiation,'' the authors 
write. Since jets fly higher than other planes, jet pilots are 
exposed to higher levels of radiation in the sky, they note.  

Two types of skin cancer, melanoma and basal-cell skin carcinoma, 
also occurred more frequently than expected in all pilots, regardless 
of the type of plane flown or time spent in the air, according to the 
study.  

Skin cancers tended to be found on the arms, legs and trunk, however, 
which suggests that exposure to sunlight while on the ground rather 
than radiation exposure in the air might be to blame for this extra 
skin cancer risk, the authors state.  

Despite the findings, however, one of the researchers said it is too 
early to draw any conclusions.  

``Although our research identified an increased risk of myeloid 
leukemia amongst Danish pilots, it is important that the findings are 
not exaggerated,'' Storm said in a statement. ``The link we 
identified was a weak one, and only significant for pilots who have 
flown 5,000 hours or more.''  

Storm noted that the findings need to be confirmed by future studies. 
In addition, research needs to focus on other possible causes for the 
increased risk besides cosmic radiation, such as exposure to jet 
fuel, according to the Danish researcher. SOURCE: The Lancet  
1999;354:2029-2031. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Biomedicals, Inc.				E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/scperle
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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