Britt Jones
If you prefer to fly and look out at the clouds, you might want to take some health precautions.
There are two kinds of travellers: the ones who take the window seat, and those who prefer the aisle.
Both options have their own benefits, but we’ve all got to agree that the window is the most enviable seat to have.
However, the cons might just outweigh anything good about the view.
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A TikTok video by a flight attendant has warned of the dangers of sitting with the blind open.
Aislinn Swain, a flight attendant and body builder spoke about the dangers of flying in the best seat on the plane.
She explained in the clip: “As a flight attendant, I can’t believe I didn’t know this sooner.”
Aislinn shared that you should be protecting your skin, just as you would if you were lying on a beach.
This is because the number of ultraviolet rays you are exposed to on a short flight is as much as you’ll find by spending 20 minutes on a tanning bed.
She explained: “When you find out just 60 minutes in the window seat on a flight has as much UV radiation as 20 minutes in a tanning bed.”
Aislinn warned: “AND cabin crew and pilots are double as likely to get skin cancer.”
The flight attendant told viewers to wear sunscreen and to keep their shades drawn to minimise their exposure.
Commenters were shocked by the news, having had no idea previously that their skin was at risk when jetting off on holiday.
One person wrote: “I'm a flight attendant oh no.”
Someone else said: “Considering how many flights the average person will take vs how many x-rays they will get, people should be more concerned about in-flight radiation. It's not negligible.”
An expert, however, knew all about it writing: “Former x-ray tech. I always found it hilarious when patients would go on and on about radiation exposure, and then tell me about their last long haul flight. LGA-LAX is 0.04mSv. Chest x-ray is 0.1mSv.”
But according to The Skin Cancer Foundation, plane windows filter out UVB rays, but not UVA rays, which can cause skin cancer.
Studies have gone on to show that UVA intensity at flying altitude can go up to three times higher than what you’d see at ground level.
The University of Manchester found that pilots may be exposed to just as much UVA exposure in an hour in the cockpit as they would from 20 minutes on a sunbed.
A study in 2015 found that pilots and cabin crew had approximately twice the rate of melanoma.
But it’s not known if this was due to time spend on the ground during leisure time, or in the aircraft.
The Skin Cancer Foundation advise applying sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher before boarding a plane and then reapplying during long flights.
They also encourage people to wear protective gear.
Such as wearing long sleeves, pulling your window shades down and then sitting in aisle seats to steer clear of the rays.