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Estimated individual annual cosmic radiation doses for flight crews
1Finnair Medical Department, Helsinki, Finland.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|July 29, 1998
Summary
Airline crew members receive annual cosmic radiation doses below legal limits. Doses vary by aircraft type and flight time, with long-haul pilots experiencing the highest exposure, but still within safety regulations.
Area of Science:
- Aviation Medicine
- Radiation Biology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Airline crew members are occupationally exposed to cosmic radiation.
- Understanding individual radiation doses is crucial for crew safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate individual annual cosmic radiation doses for airline crew.
- To compare calculated doses with established safety limits.
Main Methods:
- Utilized flight profiles and altitude-specific cosmic radiation intensity data.
- Analyzed individual flight logs, including block time and flight levels.
- Calculated cumulative total body radiation doses for each flight phase.
Main Results:
- Cabin crew averaged 673 block hours annually; pilots averaged 568.
- Average annual cosmic ray dose for cabin crews was 2.27 mSv.
- Long-distance MD11 flight captains received the highest doses, averaging 2.19 mSv annually.
Conclusions:
- Calculated individual doses correlate with aircraft type and flight duration.
- Actual doses are lower than estimations assuming constant exposure.
- All calculated annual doses remain below the legal maximum of 5 mSv.