Pilots are exposed to carcinogenic substances like radiation, ozone, exhaust gas from jet engine, and electromagnetic wave, their environment can be very hazardous. I designed this study to know if there is any difference between pilots and general pe...
Pilots are exposed to carcinogenic substances like radiation, ozone, exhaust gas from jet engine, and electromagnetic wave, their environment can be very hazardous. I designed this study to know if there is any difference between pilots and general people in cancer incidence. I analyzed cancer cases between 1999 and 2008, and investigated their age, site, aircraft types, and sex. I compared pilot`s cancer incidence with general people during same periods. Statistical analysis was performed with standardized incidence ratio (SIR). 10 cases were high performance pilots, 5 cases were low performance pilots. The average age when the diagnosis had been made was 39±7.8. Pilot`s incidence ratio was lower than people`s, the most common cancer was kidney, and there was no lung cancer. Cancer is influenced by gene and environment, each country has different patterns. The low incidence ratio in Korean pilots might be due to "healthy worker effect". I think we should perform further investigation on kidney cancer.