Radiation link in flight attendant's breast cancer, French court finds

What the report says

A French court has for the first time recognised cosmic radiation as a factor in the breast cancer of a former Air France stewardess, in a ruling that could influence similar claims from flight crew. The case was brought by Sophie Lainault, 59, who asked that her illness be classified as an occupational disease linked to her work conditions. The court in Bayonne accepted that her job involved several carcinogenic hazards, including cosmic radiation, passive smoking and long periods of night work.

According to BBC World News, Lainault worked for Air France as a stewardess and later purser between 1989 and 2019, logging 12,600 flight hours, more than half at night. The reporting notes that many long-haul routes from Paris would have taken her close to the North Pole, where exposure to cosmic radiation is higher. The ruling means she can take early retirement and have further treatment covered by the French health system, while also helping establish breast cancer as a recognised risk for flight crews in France.

Lainault said she hoped the decision would encourage other women to come forward. Her lawyer said the case is the first in France to link breast cancer in an air hostess to occupational hazards in this way. Air France said it had not been involved in the case and that employee health and safety remained an “absolute imperative.” More broadly, the case comes amid continuing discussion of radiation exposure in aviation, especially for crew who spend many hours at high altitude and on night flights.