Airline pilots have higher rates of cancer, in part due to elevated atmospheric cosmic radiation exposure.
"And we know pilots—and this is for other reasons, cuz atmospherically they're exposed to more radiation—cancer rates are higher in pilots." (said at 0:44:09)
The claim is overstated. Large multicenter cohort studies show that overall cancer mortality and incidence among airline pilots are actually lower than in the general population (standardized mortality ratio for all cancers ~0.64–0.68), largely due to a strong 'healthy worker effect' and lower smoking rates. However, pilots do have significantly elevated rates of specific malignancies—primarily cutaneous malignant melanoma and keratinocyte (non-melanoma) skin cancers (approximately double the general population rate). Furthermore, extensive cohort studies examining cumulative occupational cosmic radiation doses have found no consistent dose-response relationship with cancer incidence or mortality, suggesting other factors (such as UV radiation exposure during leisure time/layovers or circadian disruption) may explain the excess skin cancer risk.
- contradicts: Mortality from cancer and other causes among male airline cockpit crew in Europe. (International journal of cancer 2003)
"The study comprised 547,564 person-years at risk, and 2,244 deaths were recorded in male cockpit crew (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.61-0.67). Overall cancer mortality was decreased (SMR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.63-0.74). We found an increased mortality from malignant melanoma (SMR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.15-2.67)" (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - contradicts: Cosmic radiation and cancer mortality among airline pilots: results from a European cohort… (Radiation and environmental biophysics 2004)
"All-cause and all-cancer mortality was low for all exposure categories. A significant negative risk trend for all-cause mortality was seen with increasing dose. Neither external and internal comparisons nor nested case-control analyses showed any substantially increased risks for cancer mortality due to ionizing radiation." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - partial: Do airline pilots and cabin crew have raised risks of melanoma and other skin cancers? Sys… (The British journal of dermatology 2019)
"The available evidence shows that airline pilots and cabin crew have about twice the risk of melanoma and other skin cancers than the general population, with pilots more likely to die from melanoma." (abstract, conclusions, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi) - contradicts: Cohort study of occupational cosmic radiation dose and cancer mortality in German aircrew,… (Occupational and environmental medicine 2020)
"SMR for all-cause, specific cancer groups and most individual cancers were reduced in all aircrew groups. The only increases were seen for brain cancer in pilots (n=23, SMR 2.01, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.28) and for malignant melanoma (n=10, SMR 1.88, 95% CI 0.78 to 3.85)... There was no evidence for significant dose-response patterns for the considered cancer types." (abstract, results and conclusions)
pubmedfull study (doi)