What jobs are most associated with deaths from radiation-related cancer? Surprisingly, the answer is cabin crew and pilots – ahead of nuclear technologists, whose work involves handling radioactive materials used in medical imaging and treatment.

That’s the finding of a new study that analysed more than 12.7 million death records from 2020 to 2024, covering more than 500 occupations. The researchers ranked the occupations by the proportion of deaths in which a radiation-related cancer was listed as a cause.

For the analysis, the researchers concentrated on cancers that previous research had suggested is associated with radiation, including breast cancer, leukaemia, brain tumours, prostate cancer and melanoma. About 6.9% of deaths among cabin crew and 6.7% among pilots were from these cancers.

The pattern was particularly interesting because it was not seen for cancers that were not considered radiation-related, nor among aircraft mechanics and engineers who spend their careers around aeroplanes but remain on the ground.

The obvious question is why working on an aircraft should expose anyone to much radiation at all. The answer has nothing to do with the aircraft itself. It comes from above it.

The Earth is continuously struck by cosmic radiation, consisting primarily of extraordinarily energetic particles originating from outside the solar system. Many are thought to have been accelerated by violent events, such as exploding stars.

We are exposed to some of this radiation even while sitting at home, but there is an enormous difference between living at sea level........

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