A French court has recognised former Air France stewardess Sophie Lainault’s breast cancer as an occupational disease, in a ruling that found a link between the illness and cosmic radiation encountered during her work in aviation.
Lainault, who previously worked as a stewardess for Air France, had sought recognition that her cancer was connected to her employment. The court accepted the relationship between her breast cancer and exposure to cosmic radiation associated with flight duties.
The decision means the illness has been formally recognised as work-related in Lainault’s case. The supplied information does not provide further details about the court’s reasoning, the duration of her employment or any compensation or other consequences arising from the ruling.
The case places attention on the occupational health risks considered by courts in relation to airline crew, although no wider legal or regulatory changes are specified. The latest known position is that Lainault’s cancer has been recognised as an occupational disease following the French court’s finding.
