[ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning??

[Hansen, Richard]

Joel,

Here are some additional articles from PhysOrg.com about Terrestrial
Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) from lightning potentially irradiating aircraft
crews and passengers.

http://www.physorg.com/news185127233.html
Are TGFs Hazardous to Air Travelers?
Instruments scanning outer space for cataclysmic explosions called
gamma-ray bursts are detecting intense flashes of gamma-ray energy right
here in the friendly skies of Earth. These terrestrial gamma-ray
flashes, or TGFs, blast through thunderstorms close to the altitude
where commercial airliners fly. In fact, they could be too close for
comfort

http://www.physorg.com/news179426300.html
Lightning-produced radiation a potential health concern for air
travelers.
New information about lightning-emitted X-rays, gamma rays and
high-energy electrons during thunderstorms is prompting scientists to
raise concerns about the potential for airline passengers and crews to
be exposed to harmful levels of radiation.
The scientists concluded the radiation in a football field-sized space
around these lightning events could reach "biologically significant
levels," up to 10 rem [in less than one millisecond], according to their
paper.


Best regards,
Rick Hansen
Senior Scientist
Counter Terrorism Operations Support Program
National Security Technologies, LLC, for the U.S. Dept of Energy
P.O. Box 98521, M/S NLV128, Las Vegas, NV 89192-8521
hansenrg at nv.doe.gov
www.ctosnnsa.org

Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:04:45 -0400
From: "Joel C." <cehn at aol.com>
Subject: [ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning??
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Message-ID: <8CC99BD87C222EF-EE8-3A90 at webmail-m099.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The esteemed journal, USA Today, reports that a lightning strike to an
airliner can deliver 0.1 Sv to passengers.  This comes from research at
the Florida Institute of Technology.  Anyone know what this is about?


Joel I. Cehn, CHP 
joelc at alum.wpi.edu