US trip Radiation exposure
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: Tropopause
US trip Radiation exposure
Hello all.
Just a random thought I had. Now departing from the Middle East, flying at latitudes of high 60s or early 70s, I understand it’s not as bad as a polar flight, but certainly can’t be good for the body.
Is it generally the polar flights that are the ones we should worry about, or are such trips equally as dangerous for the body?
I sometimes wonder if it’s very harsh on the body.
Also on that note, how is it very different from pilots living in Scandinavia / Iceland? Being situated at high latitudes as is.
Just a random thought I had. Now departing from the Middle East, flying at latitudes of high 60s or early 70s, I understand it’s not as bad as a polar flight, but certainly can’t be good for the body.
Is it generally the polar flights that are the ones we should worry about, or are such trips equally as dangerous for the body?
I sometimes wonder if it’s very harsh on the body.
Also on that note, how is it very different from pilots living in Scandinavia / Iceland? Being situated at high latitudes as is.
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,726
Likes: 103
From: The Winchester
It's a frequent topic in this place, ( so use the search function), it's a topic that comes up fairly frequently, usually as a scare story, in the main stream media (so Google is your friend), just be careful, you need to filter out the sensationalist junk/tinfoil hat material from the vaguely objective stuff..
There are lots of variables involved in how much radiation you are exposed to on a flight, mainly tied in with state of the sun's activity, ( e.g. sunspots, solar Flares, particle events, and also the strength of the Sun's magnetic field, which protects us from cosmic radiation..).
Three simple rules:
Longer the flight - more radiation;
Nearer the north or south magnet pole - more radiation;
Higher altitude - more radiation.
IMHO there's plenty of things about flying that can be as "harsh on the body" if not more so than exposure to radiation at cruising levels - I'm thinking time zone changes, irregular exposure to daylight, lack of and disruption of sleep, irregular eating habits, possibly poor diet, dehydration..
https://www.faa.gov/data_research/re...media/0316.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/air...radiation.html
There are lots of variables involved in how much radiation you are exposed to on a flight, mainly tied in with state of the sun's activity, ( e.g. sunspots, solar Flares, particle events, and also the strength of the Sun's magnetic field, which protects us from cosmic radiation..).
Three simple rules:
Longer the flight - more radiation;
Nearer the north or south magnet pole - more radiation;
Higher altitude - more radiation.
IMHO there's plenty of things about flying that can be as "harsh on the body" if not more so than exposure to radiation at cruising levels - I'm thinking time zone changes, irregular exposure to daylight, lack of and disruption of sleep, irregular eating habits, possibly poor diet, dehydration..
https://www.faa.gov/data_research/re...media/0316.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/air...radiation.html
Last edited by wiggy; 7th July 2019 at 10:44.
Joined: Sep 2003
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 955
Likes: 68
From: away from home
Hello all.
Just a random thought I had. Now departing from the Middle East, flying at latitudes of high 60s or early 70s, I understand it’s not as bad as a polar flight, but certainly can’t be good for the body.
Is it generally the polar flights that are the ones we should worry about, or are such trips equally as dangerous for the body?
I sometimes wonder if it’s very harsh on the body.
Also on that note, how is it very different from pilots living in Scandinavia / Iceland? Being situated at high latitudes as is.
Just a random thought I had. Now departing from the Middle East, flying at latitudes of high 60s or early 70s, I understand it’s not as bad as a polar flight, but certainly can’t be good for the body.
Is it generally the polar flights that are the ones we should worry about, or are such trips equally as dangerous for the body?
I sometimes wonder if it’s very harsh on the body.
Also on that note, how is it very different from pilots living in Scandinavia / Iceland? Being situated at high latitudes as is.
But not felt anything yet. Most of my retired colleagues are living well into ripe old age.
