A flight attendant’s breast cancer has been linked to cosmic radiation by a French court as part of a landmark case.

Sophie Lainault, who worked for the French flag carrier for around 30 years, has fought for two and a half years for recognition that her breast cancer was linked to her profession.

In early July, a court in the southwestern city of Bayonne ruled that Ms Lainault’s cancer was of occupational origin, a lawsuit reviewed by Parisian news agency AFP says.

Ms Lainault told AFP Tuesday she hoped her legal victory would help other women in the future.

"It is truly my dearest wish that this opens the way for other women who might not have dared until now," the former flight attendant, who is now in remission from cancer, said.

Ms Lainault worked for Air France between 1989 and 2019 as a flight attendant and later as a purser on long-haul flights, working more than 12,600 flight hours, 6,500 of those at night.

The court recognised three hazards that arose from Ms Lainault’s profession: working night shifts, exposure to ionising radiation and passive smoking, as per AFP.

Smoking was permitted aboard Air France flights until it was banned in 2000. There have also been some studies which suggest that night shift work could be linked to higher risks of developing cancer.

Previous cases in France had ruled that nurses with breast cancer, who were exposed to radiation at work, had an occupational disease – yet no such ruling has concluded the same for flight crews until now.

The ruling means that any further treatment Lainault requires will be fully reimbursed by the French health system.

Exposure to radiation from space, such as particles from the sun and other stars, happens during high altitude air travel. A study this month at Harvard Medical School found that flight attendants and pilots had the highest level of radiation-related cancer deaths among more than 500 different professions.

However, Jim Smith, a professor of environmental science at the University of Portsmouth, told BBC News that it was “impossible” to determine whether cancer cases are caused by radiation, and said air crew on regular flights at high altitudes would only have a “small additional risk of cancer”.

It was also noted by the court the absence of any genetic of lifestle factors that could have otherwise contributed to Ms Lainault’s diagnosis.

Ms Lainault's lawyer, Elisabeth Leroux, said the court decision sets a legal precedent. Breast cancer is currently not included in France’s official list of occupational diseases.

Ms Lainault said the ruling will allow her to take early retirement.

In a statement to The Independent, Air France said it has “taken note of the decision issued by the Bayonne Judicial Court following a claim brought before that court by an employee challenging the refusal to recognise an occupational disease by the French Health Insurance Fund (CPAM), a refusal subsequently upheld by the Regional Committee for the Recognition of Occupational Diseases.”

“The airline was not a party to these proceedings and has not been informed of the grounds for the court’s decision.

“Air France stresses that the occupational health and safety of its employees is an absolute priority.”

The airline added that it has its own in-house medical department, and each employee is subject to regular medical monitoring, including tracking exposure to ionising radiation, which it has done for more than 10 years.

“The exposure limits applied by Air France are three times lower than French regulatory limits,” it added. “Epidemiological studies published to date have not established any causal link between working as aircrew and the occurrence of certain diseases.”

“Air France complies with all French and international regulations relating to the protection of employee health.”

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