title: Cause-specific mortality among a cohort of U.S. flight attendants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated mortality among 11,311 former U.S. flight attendants. The primary a priori outcomes of interest were breast cancer and melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vital status was ascertained through 2007, and life table analyses was conducted. Cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption were estimated from work history data and historical published flight schedules.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All-cause mortality was less than expected among women but was elevated among men, primarily due to elevated HIV-related disease mortality. Mortality from breast cancer among women and melanoma was neither significantly elevated nor related to metrics of exposure. Mortality was elevated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among men; for alcoholism, drowning, and intentional self-harm among women; and for railway, water, and air transportation accidents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no evidence of increased breast cancer or melanoma mortality. Limitations include reliance on mortality data and limited power resulting from few melanoma deaths and relatively short employment durations.
authors: Industrywide Studies Branch, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA. lpinkerton@cdc.gov
authors: Lynne E
authors: LE
authors: Pinkerton
authors: Martha A
authors: MA
authors: Waters
authors: Misty J
authors: MJ
authors: Hein
authors: Zachary
authors: Z
authors: Zivkovich
authors: Mary K
authors: MK
authors: Schubauer-Berigan
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Grajewski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000401:Aircraft; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003359:Cosmic Radiation / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology