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Mortality among a cohort of U.S. commercial airline cockpit crew
Author(s) -
Yong Lee C.,
Pinkerton Lynne E.,
Yiin James H.,
Anderson Jeri L.,
Deddens James A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22318
Subject(s) - medicine , crew , population , cancer , cohort , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , standardized mortality ratio , leukemia , environmental health , demography , aeronautics , engineering , sociology
Background We evaluated mortality among 5,964 former U.S. commercial cockpit crew (pilots and flight engineers). The outcomes of a priori interest were non‐chronic lymphocytic leukemia, central nervous system (CNS) cancer (including brain), and malignant melanoma. Methods Vital status was ascertained through 2008. Life table and Cox regression analyses were conducted. Cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation was estimated from work history data. Results Compared to the U.S. general population, mortality from all causes, all cancer, and cardiovascular diseases was decreased, but mortality from aircraft accidents was highly elevated. Mortality was elevated for malignant melanoma but not for non‐chronic lymphocytic leukemia. CNS cancer mortality increased with an increase in cumulative radiation dose. Conclusions Cockpit crew had a low all‐cause, all‐cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality but elevated aircraft accident mortality. Further studies are needed to clarify the risk of CNS and other radiation‐associated cancers in relation to cosmic radiation and other workplace exposures. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:906–914, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.