Cabin crew are more likely to develop a number of forms of cancer than the average person, according to a Harvard university study of over 5,000 current and former US flight attendants.

The conditions studied include breast cancer, where 3.4% of cabin crew contract the disease, compared to 2.3% in the general population.

Other cancers where cabin crew are more exposed included cervical, gastrointestinal, skin, and thyroid cancers, according to what the authors say is the largest and most comprehensive study of cancer among cabin crew.

Co-author Dr Irina Mordukhovich said the results were “even more striking given the low rates of overweight and smoking in this occupational group.”

The report says cabin crew are exposed to poor air quality and several known and probable carcinogens in aeroplanes. Their body clocks are also disrupted by shift patterns, it says.

Read more about the study HERE.