John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jul 12;25(14):7670. doi: 10.3390/ijms25147670.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration has officially classified flight crews (FC) consisting of commercial pilots, cabin crew, or flight attendants as "radiation workers" since 1994 due to the potential for cosmic ionizing radiation (CIR) exposure at cruising altitudes originating from solar activity and galactic sources. Several epidemiological studies have documented elevated incidence and mortality for several cancers in FC, but it has not yet been possible to establish whether this is attributable to CIR. CIR and its constituents are known to cause a myriad of DNA lesions, which can lead to carcinogenesis unless DNA repair mechanisms remove them. But critical knowledge gaps exist with regard to the dosimetry of CIR, the role of other genotoxic exposures among FC, and whether possible biological mechanisms underlying higher cancer rates observed in FC exist. This review summarizes our understanding of the role of DNA damage and repair responses relevant to exposure to CIR in FC. We aimed to stimulate new research directions and provide information that will be useful for guiding regulatory, public health, and medical decision-making to protect and mitigate the risks for those who travel by air.
在美国，由于飞行机组人员（包括商业飞行员、机组人员或空乘人员）在巡航高度可能会接触到源自太阳活动和银河源的宇宙电离辐射（CIR），美国联邦航空管理局自 1994 年以来已将其正式归类为“辐射工作者”。有几项流行病学研究记录了飞行机组人员中几种癌症的发病率和死亡率升高，但尚未确定这是否归因于 CIR。CIR 及其成分已知会导致多种 DNA 损伤，如果没有 DNA 修复机制将其去除，就可能导致癌变。但是，关于 CIR 的剂量测定、飞行机组人员中其他遗传毒性暴露的作用以及是否存在导致观察到的飞行机组人员中更高癌症率的潜在生物学机制等方面，仍存在关键的知识空白。这篇综述总结了我们对与飞行机组人员接触 CIR 相关的 DNA 损伤和修复反应的理解。我们旨在激发新的研究方向，并提供有用的信息，以指导监管、公共卫生和医疗决策，从而保护和减轻那些乘坐飞机旅行的人的风险。
