Space radiation called no major threat to flyers

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

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Space radiation called no major threat to flyers



FORT WORTH, Texas, March 19 (Reuters) - Airline travelers 

should not be worried about high-altitude exposure to radiation from 

space and the sun, U.S. experts said on Monday. 



Researchers at an American Airlines and pilots union seminar on 

cosmic radiation said the issue was worth monitoring, especially 

for flight crew members who spend more time in the air than the 

average traveler. American is a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp 

<AMR.N>. 



But government and airline scientists said existing evidence does 

not point to cosmic radiation as a major health issue. 



"I don't think it poses such a risk that people should be concerned 

abut flying," said Wallace Friedberg, head of radiobiology research 

at the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aeromedical Institute. 



"When they're flying, they're not running the risk of  driving a car," 

he said. The point was echoed by several speakers who said 

known health risks from other activities were far greater. 



Scientists have studied the issue more as the booming global 

airline industry carries millions of people a year to high altitudes, 

where the thinner atmosphere is a weaker shield against cosmic 

radiation. 



Several studies have suggested links between the time spent in the 

air by pilots and flight attendants and a range of diseases, 

including cancers such as melanoma, leukemia and breast cancer 

that could be caused by radiation damage. 



But Gary Butler, a radiation researcher on leave as an Air Canada 

pilot to attend medical school, said those links were tentative and 

needed far more study. 



"If you ask the average line pilot, yes, they're aware of cosmic 

radiation, but their No. 1 health concern is chronic fatigue," Butler 

said. 



"There isn't the research out there at this point to back legislation," 

he added, referring to calls from some pilots groups for federal 

limits on radiation exposure for flight crews and government-

mandated health monitoring. 



The European Union issued a directive in 1996, which member 

countries are still enacting, that sets a maximum annual exposure 

for flight crews. That level is roughly the equivalent of 67 chest X-

rays, and less for pregnant women because a fetus is more 

vulnerable to cell damage from radiation. 



In the United States, the FAA has not mandated limits but does 

support a nonbinding recommendation that would increase the 

EU's annual exposure limit more than threefold. 



The FAA's Friedberg said typical flight crew exposures were far 

lower than those limits. 



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Sandy Perle                                     Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100                                     

Director, Technical                             Extension 2306                                  

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service         Fax:(714) 668-3149                                          

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.                       E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net                                                      

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue           E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com                       

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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