Galatic Radiation

[mutt]

Considering that most Business Aircraft are capable of FL400 and above, I have a query about Galactic Radiation Received In Flight,

1: Do you consider this when choosing Flight Levels?
2: What limits of exposure have you set for yourself?
3: Are you concerned about this exposure?

Thanks

Mutt

[NuName]

1: No
2: None
3: No
:eek:

[what next]

Good morning!

1. No

2. The legal limit. I don't know about other parts of the world, but here all commercial operators have to monitor the exposure to cosmic radiation of their staff.

3. Yes. In the same way that I am concerned about all sources of cancer. It really is an evil and ugly disease that is best avoided.

Greetings, Max

NB: Forgive me for nitpicking (had another life before starting to fly...), but the most damaging particles with the highest energies - by several orders of magnitude - actually originate outside our galaxy, so "galactic radiation" is only a part of the problem!

[jr of dallas]

don't forget life is lethal too...at some point !

[ExcelXLS Driver]

Hi All,

I am more worried about getting a job and paying the bills than radiation!

Concorde monitored radiation at FL500 - FL600 and there was nothing to worry about. The levels posed no concern.
Flying long haul is more likely to kill you quicker than radiation due to the long hours and flying through the night!

I am more worried about the radiation risks from IRAN! :eek:

[ab33t]

Search on Google for your own personal anti radation suite , that should provide you with peace of mind

[Big Money]

Saw them in concert last - they rocked!

[Der_Fischmeister]

Flying the Lear 60XR i found this Summer myself a few times in 45000 ft or higher due to the CB´S building up over Europe.

Concerns are most not likely the Radiation but the High Level and small Speed margins you can get riding the Tops .

So far everything is good and Nope i hadnt concerns about Radiation.

It´s THE FISCHMEISTER!!!!!

[PPRuNeUser0215]

Concorde monitored radiation at FL50 - FL60 and there was nothing to worry about.

I bet they weren't worried about it at that level...

A Cessna 152 was monitoring radiations between FL500- FL600 and there was nothing to worry about either :D :D :D

[733driver]

It's an interesting topic. Personally I think it is one that most of us are taking too lightly.

Years ago the German ALPA (VC) had an interesting article in their magazine about cosmic radiation based on scientific research. They had their own working goup at the time.

A few things I remember from that (if memory serves): The limits for flight crew exposure are somewhat randomly chosen and at the time were higher than those allowed for folks working in nuclear power plants for example. The exposure accumulates over the course of our lifes. So, if you start flying at high levels at a young age and continue throughout a long career, that is more harmful than someone who only started flying high late in their career. Basically the body cannot "get rid" of radiation. Closer to the poles exposure is a lot higher since it is not shielded by the earth's magnetic field. Radiation is also exponential rather than linear with altitude. So flying a bit lower might already makes a big difference. The amount of radiation we are exposed to also varys greatly with solar activity (on the surface of the sun).
As a rule, down at turboprop levels there isn't much to worry about. In the high 300s and above I do consider radiation as one of the factors in choosing my level. Especially on long flights closer to the poles.
I once spoke to a former flight attendant. Her husband was a physics professor specialising in gamma ray type radiation. After they had met he strongly encouraged her to give up her job based on the research he had done.
Sure, live is dangerous and we shouldn't panik, but in my view it's a real threat that deserves serious consideration.
A google search on "cosmic radiation" is well worth it for those who would like to learn more.

[His dudeness]

German commercial pilots that fly more than 100 hrs a year in aeroplanes capable of higher than FL100 (or something aloike) are subject to radiation monitoring. This is done with a gnereric tool that takes time, date, altitude and route flown and calculates a radiation exposure dosis. Your allowed only to receive a certain amount (forgot the number) and records are to be kept until the individual reaches I think 90 years of age. (same rules than for nuclear powerplant workers)

this was initiated by the german pilots union VC in order to get longterm data in repsect of cancer.

I´d worry about long exposure in northern latitudes at high altitude.

Edit: Upps, 733 was quicker than me.

[hollingworthp]

I like to fly with Tin Foil wrapped around my bits ...

Nothing to do with galactic rad though ... I just like the way it feels :}:}:}:}:}

[ExcelXLS Driver]

Hi Amex,

Thanks for pointing out my mistake, liked your comment :ok:

Unfortunately when I wrote it my quad espresso style coffee had not reached my brain!
Either that or my day job is damaging it :confused:

I have yet to see two pilots in the flight deck with tin foil hats. Although it would be a funny joke to play on the pax. You might even be able to fleece them for a few quid to rent it off you along with the foil jockstrap! :E

[redsnail]

We have just finished a cosmic radiation survey at work.
Conclusions, at the current flying rate, no one will exceed the limits set out by the authorities. Even if we were doing 900 hours a year, no one would exceed the limits set.

There are a few limits to concern ourselves with.
At 1 mSv (Sievert) a year, aircrew must be notified of that exposure and the possible risks. (Done at Indoc).

The next limit is 6 mSv a year. If you exceed that you then must be individually monitored and rostering changes actioned to reduce your annual exposure.

Off the top of my head the overall annual limits are 20 mSv a year for every one. This takes into account the average 2 mSv a year every one is exposed to from good ol' radon. Radon is emitted from rocks. We get exposed to it by stone buildings or brick buildings. Easiest way to reduce the exposure is to get some fresh air circulating. If you live in a particularly rocky area ie, with big deposits of granite etc, you may get more of a dose.

The sievert measures "how much of an impact it has on living cells". 1 Sv is equal to 100 rem.

If we can keep the dosages low then generally, our body will repair the cellular damage. So your mother's advice about eating healthily and getting a good night's rest is still valid. :ok:

As neutrons form the greater part of the exposure at altitude and their effects not that well known versus other alpha particles, the general advice is for pregnant women not to work as aircrew.

Will cosmic aka ionising radiation acquired whilst airborne cause male sterility or genetic problems? Probably not. Men generate millions of sperm often with an average life span of 3 months. That is, if the little wrigglers aren't expelled in the mean time. ;)

As stated by a previous poster, it's the Earth's magnetic field that does most of the shielding from cosmic radiation.

2 flights stood out as a great example of the difference that latitude plays.

Both 10 hour flights, both at around FL430/FL450.
Geneva to Capetown. 35 uSv (micro, ie 1/1000th of a milli mSv)

Stockholm to New York. 145 uSv.

If you're stooging around below FL200. You have nothing to worry about.
Between FL300 and FL400 around Europe, again, the dosage rates are very small.

Blasting for 10 hours on Polar or near Polar routes? Then you'd need to do about 60 such flights a year before you'd get close to the 6 mSv limit.

To put it into perspective, as talks about ionising radiation tend to alarm, you'd have to be exposed to 6mSv a year for 30 years to increase your cancer risk by 1.2%.

So, to answer,
No, no, no. :D

FAA source (http://www.faa.gov/library/reports/medical/oamtechreports/2000s/media/0316.pdf)

Calculate your own dose (http://www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/epcard-portal/dose-calculation-on-a-journey/index.html)

Skybrary doc (http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Cosmic_Radiation)

[jr of dallas]

Very interesting !

[PPRuNeUser0215]

ExcelXLS Driver :ok:. Glad you took it well. Normally it generates more virulent reactions :)

Hollingworthp... Yes I never dared asking you what was that noise you made every time you scratched there. Thanks for the clarification :).

Thinking of equiping myself with an aluminium funnel for the head actually. Useful for radiations and to top up the oil. When cost savings are such a priority, I even think I should get an award for it.

[Sepp]

Thanks redsnail, that's one of the most balanced and informed posts I've read in a long time. I just hope our previous FO(I) reads it... and then jumps off that particular hobby horse.

And:
no.
none, beyond what the regulations say we have to.
no.

[mutt]

Redsnail, thank you for a very informative posting.... On our usual jaunts the readings are:

3.32 microsieverts (0.00332 millisieverts)

On our forthcoming 7X we can expect on a really long NYC destined trip.

100.31 microsieverts (0.10031 millisieverts)

So that appears that it isnt a issue to standard non-scheduled operations...

Once again, thank you.

Mutt

[Rusty Trombone]

Great article, we ran a monitoring program a few years ago as well and came up results pretty much the same.
:\