In-Flight Radiation No Big Worry for Pregnant Women (full wire servicestory)

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

I noticed, and was contacted, that the lead story was missing the 

beginning section. It appears that the wire service that I obtained 

it from was missing the beginning. I found the full story elsewhere, 

and, am re-sending it to the list.

----------------------------------



In-Flight Radiation No Big Worry for Pregnant Women



NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The earth's atmosphere blocks most cosmic 

rays, but at higher altitudes exposure increases. Nonetheless, 

pregnant women who occasionally travel by air can be assured that the 

harm to their fetus from cosmic radiation is negligible, according to 

a new report.  



However, on the rare occasion of a solar-particle event or solar 

flare it is possible to be exposed to a potentially harmful dose of 

radiation, the authors warn in the medical journal Obstetrics and 

Gynecology.  



The Space Environment Center (SEC) of the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration maintains a Web site with real-time data 

on when a solar flare is occurring. Pregnant women can check this Web 

site and, if necessary, postpone their flight by a few hours until 

the high-dose period has passed (www.sec.noaa.gov).  



Also, the US Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites) (FAA) 

and the SEC has recently introduced an alert system that sends a 

warning to at-risk airlines to lower their altitude to a level with 

less radiation exposure. This is meant to protect those pregnant 

women who are already in the air when a solar-particle event occurs. 



At present, it is recommended that radiation exposure not exceed 1 

millisievert (mSv) over a 40-week pregnancy. While this 1-mSv limit 

is a law in Europe, it is only an advisory in the US. Most research 

has suggested no evidence of fetal harm with exposure levels below 20 

mSv.  



On a trip from New York to Seattle, for example, passengers are 

typically exposed to 60 microsieverts, or 6% of the maximum 

recommended dose; the exposure goes up to 150 microsieverts on an 

intercontinental flight from New York to Tokyo.  



The radiation risk for pregnant women who fly on a more regular 

basis, such as crewmembers and frequent business travelers, requires 

a more detailed analysis, study author Dr. Robert J. Barish, from The 

Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute in New York, notes.  



For these women, the FAA has created software, accessible on the 

Internet, which can calculate the in-flight radiation dose on a trip- 

by-trip basis. Coupled with the recommended dose limits, the software 

should help women decide how much flying they are comfortable with, 

he adds.  



SOURCE: Obstetrics and Gynecology, June 2004. 





***************************************************************

Sandy Perle                           

Vice President, Technical Operations                          

Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.    

3300 Hyland Avenue   

Costa Mesa, CA 92626             



Tel: (714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306 

Fax: (714) 668-3149  



E-Mail: sperle@globaldosimetry.com      

E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net                      

                 

Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/

Global Dosimetry Solutions Website: http://www.globaldosimetry.com/



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