Travel Alert.
New York – Airline Cathay Pacific has limited air crews’ flights on the non-stop Hong Kong-New York route after it was found the journey could increase the likelihood of cancer, a report said Sunday.
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Staff of the British-owned, Hong Kong-based airline say they have been limited to just two of the ultra long-haul flights per month since it was found the route exposed passengers and crew to high levels of cosmic radiation when they flew over the North Pole.
Radiation levels increase markedly at 26,250 feet above the pole and prolonged exposure could be harmful to cell DNA possibly causing cancers.
“If you do two and a half polar flights a month you are in the danger zone,” Flight Attendants Union general secretary Becky Kwan was quoted as saying.[chinapost]
I am not a physician or expert but this is not news, I researched the issues of flying while possibly pregnant a3 years ago and read that there is some risk, it is greater on polar routes, the effect is much less on most routes to Europe and Israel.
If somebody has to go to the orient often and has concerns he or she could fly via Europe, it adds 2-4 hours but might lessen jey lag if done right.
What we should note and take interest in is that other Countries have Governments that are more careful about risk and protect their citizens. An example is that the B and L contact lens solution found to be a problem months ago was banned in Singapore long before the issue became news in the USA.