High risk of melanoma for airline crew
A SYSTEMATIC review and meta-analysis involving more than 250 000 people has found that pilots and air crew have twice the incidence of melanoma compared with the general population. The review, published in JAMA Dermatology, of 19 studies published between 1990 and 2013 reporting data from 1943 to 2008, included more than 266 431 participants from 11 countries. Fifteen of the papers reported data on pilots and four on cabin crew. The researchers found the standardised incidence ratio of participants in any flight-based occupation was 2.21 — 2.22 for pilots and 2.09 for cabin crew. The standardised mortality ratio of participants in any flight-based occupation was 1.42 — 1.83 for pilots and 0.90 for cabin crew. The researchers speculated that cosmic radiation could be a risk factor, saying “UV radiation is a known risk factor for melanoma, and the cumulative exposure of pilots and cabin crew compared with the general population has not been assessed”. They wrote that their findings had “important implications for occupational health and protection of this population”.

https://www.mja.com.au/insight/2014/33/news-brief