Flight attendants may have a higher risk of some cancers because they literally spend a good chunk of their lives higher than the rest of us.
A Harvard study found that men and women who work on flying planes experience increased rates of many types of cancer, compared to the general population, from breast, cervix and skin to colon, stomach and liver. One possible explanation is their work environment: Spending extended periods of time at higher altitudes exposes flight attendants (and pilots) to more cosmic ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen.
Other factors may be disrupted circadian rhythms, such as jet lag, that impair immune function and exposure to a host of chemical contaminants, from jet engine leakages to flame retardants that contain compounds that may act as hormone disruptors.
Researchers haven't studied cancer risk in frequent flyers, but say there's no reason why heavy travelers would not have similar risks.
CPR — As in Canine Pursues Resuscitation
In Spain, the Madrid police department has reportedly taught its K-9 unit how to resuscitate an unconscious person. Basically, it involves a dog named Poncho leaping into the air and landing with its front legs on the chest of a prostrate person (in this case, so far, a police officer feigning unconsciousness). After each jump and thump, Poncho listens for sounds of breathing. Go ahead, Google the video.
Body of Knowledge
The loudest scream on record was 128.4 decibels, just 11.6 decibels lower than standing 100 feet from a jet aircraft at take-off.
Get Me That, Stat!
Between 2012 and 2017, the number of U.S. colleges with smoke- or tobacco-free campuses nearly tripled, according to the Centers for Disease Control. At least 2,082 campuses ban either smoking or any tobacco use in all indoor and outdoor areas, up from 774 six years ago. Eighty percent specifically prohibit e-cigarettes.
Stories for the Waiting Room
Ancient Egyptian women were advised to coat their cervixes with crocodile dung to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Indian women were told to use elephant poop. As birth control practices go, both seem at least psychologically effective.
Doc Talk
Rugae: the folds of mucus membrane on the walls of the stomach, urinary bladder and vagina that increase the surface area of that organ
Phobia of the Week
Athazagoraphobia: fear of being forgotten or ignored
Never Say Diet
The Major League Eating record for Mars bars is 38 in five minutes, held by Patrick Bertoletti. In recent years, there have been reports that the candy bar, invented in 1932, was increasingly hard to find. If so, blame Bertoletti.
Best Medicine
If diarrhea runs down only one leg, is it called monorrhea?
Observation
"I don't mind dying. The trouble is you feel so bloody stiff the next day."
—George Axelrod (1922-2003), an American screenwriter and playwright best known for his play (and later movie) "The Seven Year Itch"
Self Exam
Q: What has been called the "beauty bone?"
A: The clavicles or collarbones
Epitaphs
Once I wasn't
Then I was
Now I ain't again.
—Headstone in Cleveland, Ohio
To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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