French court recognises breast cancer in flight attendant as an occupational disease

A French court in Bayonne has, for the first time, recognised cosmic radiation as a contributing occupational risk in a case of breast cancer brought by a long‑time cabin crew member.

Sofi Lejno, 59, a former Air France flight attendant, asked the court to acknowledge that her illness should be classified as an occupational disease related to her working conditions. The court found that cosmic radiation was one of three carcinogenic risks linked to her profession; the other two were passive smoking and prolonged night shifts.

The ruling means Lejno, who is currently in remission, is eligible for early retirement and that further treatment will be fully covered by the French health system. Lawyers for Lejno say the court's recognition could pave the way for many other similar claims by crew members.

Flight history and scientific context

Between 1989 and 2019 Lejno accumulated 12,600 flight hours as a flight attendant and later as a cabin‑crew chief on Air France aircraft, with more than half of those hours flown at night. Many of her long routes out of Paris reached high latitudes near the North Pole, where exposure to cosmic radiation — particles originating from the sun and other stars — is at its most intense because Earth's magnetic field provides less shielding.

A study published this month by researchers at Harvard Medical School in the United States found that flight attendants and pilots had the highest proportion of radiation‑related cancer deaths among more than 500 occupations analysed: about 6.9 percent of flight attendants' deaths and 6.7 percent of pilots' deaths were linked to radiation‑related cancers. The authors noted these rates were higher than in many other jobs, including nuclear technologists, who ranked 12th.

Lejno commented on the court outcome: "My greatest wish is that this decision will encourage other women who previously did not have the courage to take this step."

Air France said it was not a party to Lejno's legal case and had not seen the court's reasoning. The airline added: "The health and safety of our staff is an absolute imperative. Every employee has health coverage that goes far beyond the regulatory minimum."

Photo: Viacheslav Iakobchuk / Alamy / Profimedia