Skin Cancer
08-06-2008, 07:01 AM
#1
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Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: CFI
Posts: 37
Skin Cancer
I did a research paper a couple of semesters ago for college and found that skin cancer is an occupational hazard in the aviation industry, with studies finding that “pilots have 25 times higher rates of skin cancer”, often occurring on their forearms.
Does anyone know if there are airline companies out there who provide uniforms with UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor)? I know clothing companies like REI, Columbia, and North Face have long sleeve shirts for backpacking and hiking. I was hoping that Van Heusen might have caught on by now.
Does anyone know if there are airline companies out there who provide uniforms with UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor)? I know clothing companies like REI, Columbia, and North Face have long sleeve shirts for backpacking and hiking. I was hoping that Van Heusen might have caught on by now.
08-06-2008, 11:22 AM
#2
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,297
Glass windows absorb UVA, which is known to cause skin cancer.
The glass does not absorb all UVB.
UVB has never been shown to cause skin cancer, there appears to be no statistically significant indications of that.
UVB is suspected of acelerating skin aging.
It is also suspected of causing fatigue and temporarily surpressing the imune system. I tend to buy into this based on my personal experiences.
As an experiement I started using UVB sunblock. I noticed a reduced incidence of common colds. I also have more energy at the end of the day..I'm usually more eager to hit the gym now. YMMV.
As for other types of cancer, my father and I are both experienced nuclear energy professionals, and my dad is a radiation effects expert. We ran the numbers, and the elevated cosmic and non-light solar radiation to which an average pilot is exposed can be expected to cause a BARELY measureable statistical increase on cancer death. It is a real increase, but very small compared to the average population. Low altitude, mid-latitude flights (ie domestic) are safer than high altitude, high latitude, long range flying (assuming the same number of flight hours). A pilot who tries to live healthy will still have much better odds than smokers or others with bad lifestyle factors.
So why do pilots have more skin cancer?
Rick's opinion: Pilots tend to be very active, often outdoor oriented people who have a lot of time off...skiing, biking, surfing, running, hunting, ranching, etc. I think we simply get more UVA exposure than the avergae person due to lifestyle, not occupation.
I bet if you tracked some of the younger guitar-hero regional pilots for forty years or so, you would note no elevated skin cancer risk, but an alarming increase in carpal-tunnel syndrome and obesity-related diseases
The glass does not absorb all UVB.
UVB has never been shown to cause skin cancer, there appears to be no statistically significant indications of that.
UVB is suspected of acelerating skin aging.
It is also suspected of causing fatigue and temporarily surpressing the imune system. I tend to buy into this based on my personal experiences.
As an experiement I started using UVB sunblock. I noticed a reduced incidence of common colds. I also have more energy at the end of the day..I'm usually more eager to hit the gym now. YMMV.
As for other types of cancer, my father and I are both experienced nuclear energy professionals, and my dad is a radiation effects expert. We ran the numbers, and the elevated cosmic and non-light solar radiation to which an average pilot is exposed can be expected to cause a BARELY measureable statistical increase on cancer death. It is a real increase, but very small compared to the average population. Low altitude, mid-latitude flights (ie domestic) are safer than high altitude, high latitude, long range flying (assuming the same number of flight hours). A pilot who tries to live healthy will still have much better odds than smokers or others with bad lifestyle factors.
So why do pilots have more skin cancer?
Rick's opinion: Pilots tend to be very active, often outdoor oriented people who have a lot of time off...skiing, biking, surfing, running, hunting, ranching, etc. I think we simply get more UVA exposure than the avergae person due to lifestyle, not occupation.
I bet if you tracked some of the younger guitar-hero regional pilots for forty years or so, you would note no elevated skin cancer risk, but an alarming increase in carpal-tunnel syndrome and obesity-related diseases
08-06-2008, 11:53 AM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,943
Uvb
Originally Posted by rickair7777
Glass windows absorb UVA, which is known to cause skin cancer.
The glass does not absorb all UVB.
UVB has never been shown to cause skin cancer, there appears to be no statistically significant indications of that.
UVB is suspected of acelerating skin aging.
It is also suspected of causing fatigue and temporarily surpressing the imune system. I tend to buy into this based on my personal experiences.
As an experiement I started using UVB sunblock. I noticed a reduced incidence of common colds. I also have more energy at the end of the day..I'm usually more eager to hit the gym now. YMMV.
The glass does not absorb all UVB.
UVB has never been shown to cause skin cancer, there appears to be no statistically significant indications of that.
UVB is suspected of acelerating skin aging.
It is also suspected of causing fatigue and temporarily surpressing the imune system. I tend to buy into this based on my personal experiences.
As an experiement I started using UVB sunblock. I noticed a reduced incidence of common colds. I also have more energy at the end of the day..I'm usually more eager to hit the gym now. YMMV.
Does UVB only get absorbed when exposed to the sunlight itself? For example if I'm in the shade at high altitude is that protection from UVB?
I never ever let my arms, hands, face or whatever be touched by sunlight at cruise altitude. But I'm just wondering if that is not enough.
08-06-2008, 12:21 PM
#4
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Joined APC: Jan 2006
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Posts: 39,297
Originally Posted by contrails
Rickair -
Does UVB only get absorbed when exposed to the sunlight itself? For example if I'm in the shade at high altitude is that protection from UVB?
I never ever let my arms, hands, face or whatever be touched by sunlight at cruise altitude. But I'm just wondering if that is not enough.
Does UVB only get absorbed when exposed to the sunlight itself? For example if I'm in the shade at high altitude is that protection from UVB?
I never ever let my arms, hands, face or whatever be touched by sunlight at cruise altitude. But I'm just wondering if that is not enough.
This is because white light is a mixture of different wavelengths, which we see as different colors. The lower wavelengths (red and IR end of the spectrum) don't get scattered much by the atmosphere (although cloud layers will reflect IR). The higher end, blues and UV does get scattered by gas molecules in the atmosphere...so most of the light scattered towards you the observer from the atmospheric mass is towards the UV end of things. That blue color includes a healthy chunk of UV. Staying out of direct sunlight obviously helps, but it is not a solution.
08-07-2008, 06:52 AM
#5
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Joined APC: Jul 2006
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Posts: 37
Originally Posted by rickair7777
I bet if you tracked some of the younger guitar-hero regional pilots for forty years or so, you would note no elevated skin cancer risk, but an alarming increase in carpal-tunnel syndrome and obesity-related diseases
My father was an airline pilot from the early 60's into the early 80's. I asked him about the use of sunscreen during his time and he said, "What's that?". He now has several "liver spots" on his forearms that he is keeping track of. He did and continues to have an active outdoor lifestyle, so I'm sure that has plenty to do with it as well.
Rick, thank you for the information you provided. I'll definitely be more aware of the type of sunscreen I'm using, in and out of the flight deck.
08-07-2008, 08:58 AM
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Boeing Hearing and Ergonomics Lab Rat, Night Shift
Posts: 1,724
Here's a clinical study backing up Rickair's "leisure time" theory:
link to source
But then there is this dated, but rather "interesting" nugget:
If Cosmic radiation can have adverse affects on avionics you can bet it will have an effect on pilots flying at high altitudes in polar regions for extended time.
Hell a big solar flare knocked Canadas utilities off the grid for 12 hours on March 13, 1989.
The next big solar storm cycle will peak in 2011 to 2012.
At least now NASA has some satellites monitoring solar activity like the SOURCE satellite launched by airdrop from this L1011:
Bottom line: wear the sunscreen when you're outside having fun.
When you're flying, cosmic radiation is the thing to worry about. It's just very easy to ignore because you can't see it...
Here is a good souce for more research and information: www.healthycrew.org It's a bit dated, but still relevant. The 2001 date shows you why none of this really became a big issue or made the news and since then most pilots since then have been worried about having a job rather than exposure to radiation.
Donning my tin hat now to go flying... ;-)
Cheers
George
...Cockpit crews receive cosmic radiation during flight operations. The increasing total accumulated dose over the years might be expected to cause increased frequency of radiation-induced cancer. The rate should increase with number of flight hours per year, number of years of flying, and higher flight altitude. If the cumulative radiation exposure during flights is of concern, we would expect an increased cancer risk to be present among those crew members flying jets. Methods: Cockpit-crew medical records (pilots and flight engineers) from 1946 onwards, holding information on the individual, flight hours, aircraft type, and date of commercial certification and decertification, were linked to the population-based Danish Cancer Registry, the central population registry, and the National Death Index. Findings Altogether 3877 cockpit crew members could be traced for follow-up, accruing 61095 person-years at risk in 3790 men and 661 in 87 women. The total number of cancers observed was 169 whereas 153.1 were expected (standardised incidence ratio 1.1 [95% Cl 0.94-1.28]). Significantly increased risks of acute myeloid leukaemia (5.1 [1.03-14.91]), skin cancer, excluding melanoma (3.0 [2.12-4.23]), and total cancer (1.2 [1.00-1.53]) were observed among Danish male jet cockpit crew members flying more than 5000 h. Increased risk of malignant melanoma irrespective of aircraft type was also found among those flying more than 5000 h. Interpretation: Both malignant melanoma and skin cancer were found in excess in cockpit crew members with a long flying history, probably attributable to sun exposure during leisure time at holiday destinations. We cannot confirm previously reported increased risk of brain and rectal cancers in pilots. The study shows that male cockpit crew members in jets flying more than 5000 h have significantly increased frequency of acute myeloid leukaemia.
But then there is this dated, but rather "interesting" nugget:
Clive Dyer from the DERA Space Department in Farnborough...stated that there are common links between the interaction of radiation within electronics and that within tissue at the DNA level. His talk described the different ways in which ionising radiation can interact with electronics and cause a number of different effects, including bit-flips, destructive burn-out, gate rupture and dielectric failure. ... [Laptop]PCs on the Space Shuttle and Mir require frequent reboot, typically every nine hours. The speaker concluded by saying that single-event effects can now be seen at ground level because of the design of modern computer chips.
Concord pilots whose annual dose of ionizing radiation is estimated to have ranged from 11 to 37 mSv (1100 to 3700 mRem) are reported to have an eight-fold increase in one type of chromosomal aberration.
The next big solar storm cycle will peak in 2011 to 2012.
At least now NASA has some satellites monitoring solar activity like the SOURCE satellite launched by airdrop from this L1011:
Bottom line: wear the sunscreen when you're outside having fun.
When you're flying, cosmic radiation is the thing to worry about. It's just very easy to ignore because you can't see it...
Here is a good souce for more research and information: www.healthycrew.org It's a bit dated, but still relevant. The 2001 date shows you why none of this really became a big issue or made the news and since then most pilots since then have been worried about having a job rather than exposure to radiation.
Donning my tin hat now to go flying... ;-)
Cheers
George
08-07-2008, 10:10 AM
#7
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,297
Originally Posted by georgetg
If Cosmic radiation can have adverse affects on avionics you can bet it will have an effect on pilots flying at high altitudes in polar regions for extended time.
Hell a big solar flare knocked Canadas utilities off the grid for 12 hours on March 13, 1989.
Hell a big solar flare knocked Canadas utilities off the grid for 12 hours on March 13, 1989.
Modern electronics are more susceptible to radiation due to miniaturization...as individual components on chips get smaller, it becomes esasier to alter their state (one or zero) with a single high-energy radiation particle. This is called a bit-flip, and may or may not have an immediate effect on the computer, depending on whether that memory position is in use.
The human body has an advantage though...our cells can repair some damage, and our immune system can stop cells which grow out of control. A computer has almost no ability to repair a flipped bit, although a redundant system may be able to ignore the corrupt system and allow for a reboot (the space shuttle has five main computers for this reason IIRC).
Power grid problems are not caused by the radiation which affects humans...they are caused by massive magnetic field fluctuations.
