Cosmic radiation link in flight attendant's breast cancer, French court finds

A French tribunal has recognized cosmic radiation as a contributing factor in the breast cancer of a longtime flight attendant, marking a first‑of‑its‑kind decision. Sophie Lainault, a 59‑year‑old former Air France stewardess, had sought to have her illness classified as an occupational disease linked to her working conditions. The landmark ruling, issued in the southwestern municipality of Bayonne, identified cosmic radiation as one of three carcinogenic hazards associated with her profession, alongside passive smoking and prolonged nighttime work. Smoking remained permitted on Air France flights until the year 2000. The judgment means that Lainault, who is currently in remission, may now access early retirement with any additional benefits fully reimbursed by the French health system. By officially classifying breast cancer as a hazard for flight crews, the tribunal has also cleared the path for comparable claims, according to legal observers. Lainault said, “My dearest privation is that the determination encourages different women who up until present person not had the courageousness to instrumentality this step,” Lainault said. During her tenure as a stewardess and later purser on Air France aircraft, Lainault accumulated 12,600 flight hours between 1989 and 2019, with more than half of those hours occurring at night. Many of the long‑distance, high‑altitude routes departing from Paris took her close to the North Pole, where exposure to cosmic radiation—particles emanating from the sun and other stars—is at its greatest intensity.