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  • Title: Cohort mortality study of German cockpit crew, 1960-1997.
    Author: Zeeb H, Blettner M, Hammer GP, Langner I.
    Journal: Epidemiology; 2002 Nov; 13(6):693-9. PubMed ID: 12410011.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Cockpit crew in civil aviation are exposed to several potential health hazards, among them cosmic ionizing radiation. To assess the influence of occupational and other factors on mortality we conducted a cohort study among cockpit crew. METHODS: All pilots and other cockpit personnel of two German airlines were traced through registries and other sources for the period 1960-1997. Standardized mortality ratios, with German population rates as the reference, were calculated. We estimated the individual radiation dose based on individual job histories and assessed dose-response trends in stratified and regression analyses. RESULTS: We compiled a cohort of 6061 male cockpit personnel, yielding 105,037 person-years of observation. The maximum estimated individual radiation dose was 80.5 mSv. Among 255 deaths overall (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.42-0.54) there were 76 cancer deaths (SMR = 0.56; CI = 0.43 - 0.74). Most cancer and cardiovascular SMRs were reduced. A slight increase was seen for brain cancer (SMR = 1.68; CI = 0.66-3.62). Employment duration was associated with the all-cancer mortality in Poisson regression analyses. No other dose-response relation was found. CONCLUSIONS: German cockpit crew have a low overall and cancer mortality. The role of occupational causes, and particularly cosmic radiation, appears limited.
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