Aircrew and Reproductive Health

Overview

Working as a flight attendant or pilot may affect your reproductive health because of some of the hazards of the job, such as:

• Cosmic ionizing radiation
• Circadian rhythm disruption (jet lag)
• Long working hours
• Working across time zones
• Standing for long periods of time
• Heavy lifting
• Bending from the waist

Why might aircrew be concerned about reproductive health and in-flight exposures?

Exposure to ionizing radiation at work could increase your chances of having reproductive health problems. For flight attendants, a NIOSH study found that exposure to 0.1 milligray (0.36 millisieverts) or more of cosmic radiation in the first trimester may be linked to increased risk of miscarriage. Learn more about cosmic radiation and what you can do to reduce exposure.

NIOSH and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have found that a pregnant flight attendant who flies through a solar particle event can receive more radiation than is recommended during pregnancy by national and international agencies

Working during your normal sleep hours can change your circadian rhythms, which regulate your menstrual cycle and your pregnancy hormones. For flight attendants, working during normal sleep hours 15 hours or more during the first trimester of pregnancy has been linked to increased risk of miscarriage in a NIOSH study.

Heavy lifting, standing for long periods of time, or bending a lot during pregnancy could increase your chances of having menstrual disorders, miscarriage, or preterm birth, or injury during pregnancy. For flight attendants, a NIOSH study found that high physical job demands (standing and walking more than 8 hours a day or bending at the waist more than 25 times a day) was linked to increased risk of miscarriage.

We don't know what causes most reproductive problems. If you are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation, shift work, long working hours, or physical job demands and have a miscarriage or other reproductive problems, we can't tell if it was caused by your work conditions or if it was caused by something else.

We don't know what levels of these exposures are safe for every person, or how to achieve safe exposure levels for all pregnant crewmembers.

What you can do

For employers

Think about what jobs in your company could be hazardous to reproductive health and share this information with employees. Offer them options to avoid tasks involving reproductive hazards while they are trying to conceive, pregnant, or breastfeeding. If an employee cannot completely avoid a reproductive hazard on the job, try to reduce it where possible.

Learn about your responsibilities towards pregnant and breastfeeding workers, including:

• The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
• The Fair Labor Standard Act and PUMP Act

For employees

Reduce physical job demands. During pregnancy, a person can be at higher risk of musculoskeletal injury due to changes in ligament laxity related to hormonal changes, as well as changing body size and center of mass. Pregnant crewmembers should try to reduce heavy physical job demands. These include:

• Standing for long periods of time
• Heavy lifting
• Bending from the waist

Reduce circadian rhythm disruption. Bidding for a flight schedule to reduce circadian disruption exposures is complicated, because reducing one exposure may increase another. Seniority, lifestyle, and personal issues also affect the ability to make these choices. In general:

Try to reduce your time working on flights when you are normally asleep at home. One way you may be able to do this is to work shorter flights near where you live.

Reduce cosmic radiation exposure. Try to reduce your time working on:

• Long flights
• Flights at high latitudes
• Flights which fly over the poles

As much as you can when you fly, be aware of space weather and solar particle events. Use information from NASA and NOAA prediction systems.

Resources

Association of Flight Attendants

National Sleep Foundation Shift Work Website

NIOSH topic page: About Reproductive Health in the Workplace

NIOSH infographic: recommendations for lifting during pregnancy (English)

NIOSH infographic: recommendations for lifting during pregnancy (Spanish)

If you have safety and health questions about your job contact CDC-INFO.