[ RadSafe ] " Lightning-produced radiation a potential health concern for air travelers "

[Jaro Franta]

http://www.physorg.com/news179426300.html
Lightning-produced radiation a potential health concern for air travelers
December 7, 2009

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"If an aircraft happened to be in or near the high-field region when either
a lightning discharge or a TGF event is occurring, then the radiation dose
received by passengers and crew members inside the aircraft could
potentially approach 10 rem in less than one millisecond," the paper says. 

Ten rem is considered the maximum safe radiation exposure over a person's
lifetime. It is equal to 400 chest X-rays, three CAT scans or 7,500 hours of
flight time in normal conditions. All airplane passengers are exposed to
slightly elevated radiation levels due to cosmic rays.
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