Keeping this in view, do airline pilots have a higher rate of cancer?
Studies have shown that pilots and flight attendants are at higher risk for skin cancer. According to a study in JAMA Dermatology, published by the American Medical Association, flight crews have twice the incidence of melanoma compared with the general population.
Subsequently, question is, why do pilots get more radiation? That's because our planet's atmosphere and magnetic field form a mighty shield against these rays. But the shield isn't impenetrable, and some particles leak through. Those who spend a lot of time high up in the atmosphere — flight crews, for instance — face much higher exposure to cosmic radiation.
Subsequently, one may also ask, how do pilots protect themselves from radiation?
Broadly speaking, radiation exposure can be mitigated in three ways: Time, Distance, and Shielding. It's here that improvements can at least theoretically be made: The pilots and passengers already gain some shielding from the structure of the aircraft, but not nearly as much as 30,000 feet of atmosphere provides.
Is Flying bad for your health radiation?
The amount (dose) of radiation you get from air travel is low, but the dose depends on a few factors. These levels of radiation are small and unlikely to affect human health. The longer you are on a flight, the more radiation you receive. The higher you are in altitude, the higher the dose of radiation.
