5 ms·

Maybe it is related to irregular sleep schedule. Also more exposure to uv radiation while flying.

by mlboss 5y ago

Hnrobert42 5y ago
The sleep disruption is a good thought. I would also think the exposure to jet exhaust. For me, that smell evokes a nostalgia for picking up grandparents at the airport. It is probably hazardous to work at an airport and breathe it all the time.
- cjrp 5y ago
  See "fume events"
boomlinde 5y ago
You're also exposed to more ionizing radiation the higher up you are.
- bjoli 5y ago
  But they are not really exposed to the elements while up there. How much aluminium and airplane interior does it take to replace 10.000m of atmosphere?
  - pja 5y ago
    A column of atmosphere 1m^2 in area weighs about 10 metric tonnes. The thin Al skin of an aeroplane might as well be nothing at all by comparison.
  - rndgermandude 5y ago
    According to the CDC, a west-east coast flight is about 0.035 mSv per passenger. The average annual exposure per person in the US would be about 3.3 mSv (without medical radiation from xrays and such)[0], mostly from natural background radiation. There are high regional differences[1], could be as low as 1 mSv or as high as 20 mSv. Human made factors play a role as well, e.g. coal burning (e.g. in power plants) will dose people living close by with radioactive elements in coal ash. Anyway, a busy crew member can do maybe the equivalent of 100 such flights a year, which would be roughly an additional dose of 3.5 mSv per year. Their total annual exposure would then come out as double the average (US). For comparison, an xray can be as low as 0.1 mSv for a chest one, but a whole body PET scan comes in at about 23 mSv. So I'd conclude that being a flight crew member would of course somewhat increase your radiation-induced health risks, but maybe not as bad as people might think. Looking at other health factors for crew members, like in-flight air quality, increased exposure to fuel (kerosene) fumes and burn products working in airports and planes, or work/sleep schedules might offer additional/better explanations for the increase in cancer in this group compared to the average population. [0] the world average is about 2.4 mSv, Germany comes in at 2.2 mSv, Japan 1.5 mSv. Didn't find a good number for India, where the article author lives. [1] E.g. here is a map of Germany for radon concentrations in living spaces https://www.bfs.de/SharedDocs/Bilder/BfS/EN/ion/environment/radon-map-dwellings.jpg?__blob=poster&v=13 https://www.bfs.de/SharedDocs/Bilder/BfS/EN/ion/environment/...
    - bjoli 5y ago
      Thanks! I had no idea flying meant higher radiation.
    - habi 5y ago
      > Didn't find a good number for India, where the article author lives. Kerala in India is among the places with the highest natural radioactivity: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jess/095/03/0397-0407 https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jess/095/03/0397-0407
    - ncmncm 5y ago
      > a busy crew member can do ... 100 such flights a year 100 flights? More like 3-500.
Ferrotin 5y ago
Also, regular exposure to pathogens.

Maybe it is related to irregular sleep schedule. Also more exposure to uv radiation while flying.

by mlboss 5y ago

Maybe it is related to irregular sleep schedule. Also more exposure to uv radiation while flying.

The sleep disruption is a good thought. I would also think the exposure to jet exhaust. For me, that smell evokes a nostalgia for picking up grandparents at the airport. It is probably hazardous to work at an airport and breathe it all the time.

cjrp 5y ago
See "fume events"

boomlinde 5y ago

You're also exposed to more ionizing radiation the higher up you are.

bjoli 5y ago
But they are not really exposed to the elements while up there. How much aluminium and airplane interior does it take to replace 10.000m of atmosphere?
- pja 5y ago
  A column of atmosphere 1m^2 in area weighs about 10 metric tonnes. The thin Al skin of an aeroplane might as well be nothing at all by comparison.
- rndgermandude 5y ago
  According to the CDC, a west-east coast flight is about 0.035 mSv per passenger. The average annual exposure per person in the US would be about 3.3 mSv (without medical radiation from xrays and such)[0], mostly from natural background radiation. There are high regional differences[1], could be as low as 1 mSv or as high as 20 mSv. Human made factors play a role as well, e.g. coal burning (e.g. in power plants) will dose people living close by with radioactive elements in coal ash. Anyway, a busy crew member can do maybe the equivalent of 100 such flights a year, which would be roughly an additional dose of 3.5 mSv per year. Their total annual exposure would then come out as double the average (US). For comparison, an xray can be as low as 0.1 mSv for a chest one, but a whole body PET scan comes in at about 23 mSv. So I'd conclude that being a flight crew member would of course somewhat increase your radiation-induced health risks, but maybe not as bad as people might think. Looking at other health factors for crew members, like in-flight air quality, increased exposure to fuel (kerosene) fumes and burn products working in airports and planes, or work/sleep schedules might offer additional/better explanations for the increase in cancer in this group compared to the average population. [0] the world average is about 2.4 mSv, Germany comes in at 2.2 mSv, Japan 1.5 mSv. Didn't find a good number for India, where the article author lives. [1] E.g. here is a map of Germany for radon concentrations in living spaces https://www.bfs.de/SharedDocs/Bilder/BfS/EN/ion/environment/radon-map-dwellings.jpg?__blob=poster&v=13 https://www.bfs.de/SharedDocs/Bilder/BfS/EN/ion/environment/...
  - bjoli 5y ago
    Thanks! I had no idea flying meant higher radiation.
  - habi 5y ago
    > Didn't find a good number for India, where the article author lives. Kerala in India is among the places with the highest natural radioactivity: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jess/095/03/0397-0407 https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jess/095/03/0397-0407
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    > a busy crew member can do ... 100 such flights a year 100 flights? More like 3-500.

Ferrotin 5y ago

Also, regular exposure to pathogens.