2023-10-24 15:15:31
Shifted schedules and ionizing radiation
Pilots, flight attendants and stewards…: in France, more than 30,000 people work in airplane cabins. In flight, cabin crew are particularly concerned by working shifts and night shifts, which are known to cause health effects. Added to this is exposure to ionizing radiation from cosmic and solar rays, which increase in particular with altitude. The analysis of the literature supplemented by the results of the IARC monographs for cancerous diseases made it possible to conclude that there is an increase in the incidence of certain cancers, such as skin cancers (squamous cell and melanoma) and leukemia in flight crew. According to the literature and IARC monographs, solar and cosmic radiation might be the cause.
In its expertise, ANSES emphasizes that epidemiological studies are still necessary to clarify the effects on the health of these multiple exposures and working conditions of these employees.
Symptoms reported by flight crew
For several years, flight crews have reported symptoms associated with potential contamination of the air in aircraft cabins or cockpits by various pollutants. These symptoms, which are very varied and non-specific, such as headaches and loss of balance, have been mentioned in several studies and grouped under the term ” aerotoxic syndrome “. ANSES’s expertise confirms that existing studies do not, however, make it possible to objectify these symptoms or identify their causes.
Different sources of cabin air pollution
In aircraft cabins, ANSES notes that multiple sources of pollutants are identified, which can be linked to the materials used, the operation of the aircraft and in particular the ventilation system, the operations carried out on the ground and in flight, etc. In the vast majority of aircraft, the air supplying the cabin is partly taken from the engines. Compounds from engine oil or its thermal degradation are commonly suspected of polluting cabin air, which is referred to in the literature as “ fume event ».
In its expertise, ANSES cannot conclude either on the origin of the pollutants detected in cabin air or on their concentration levels, due to insufficient quality data.
Continue research
In order to be able to assess the risks to the health of these workers, additional research is therefore essential to clarify the effects on the health of flight crews linked to their profession and the quality of the air in the cabins, identify the circumstances that might lead to particular pollution of this air and objectify the symptoms reported by these personnel.
The Agency emphasizes that several research projects are underway, including:
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projects carried out in France and at European level: SPACE, from the Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), on mortality from cancers and non-cancerous diseases linked in particular to exposure to cosmic radiation, AviSan, financed by the ANSES as part of the national research program “Environment-health-work” (PNREST) and carried out by a team composed of the Hôtel Dieu Hospital, the Navy Analysis, Surveillance and Expertise Laboratory (LASEM ) and Air France and, CAQIII financed by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the European Commission, carried out by various European partners on the potential contamination of cabins by air taken from engines by compounds from engine oils , hydraulic fluids and their pyrolysis products, as well as the effects of these compounds on health, including neurotoxicity,
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the ASHRAE 1830-RP project carried out in the United States on the evaluation of sensors intended to detect contamination of cabins by air taken from engines by oils or hydraulic fluids.
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