Re: rad exp to pilots and flight attendants

[R.Smart@unsw.edu.au (Richard Smart)]

>Have there been any studies done on pilots and flight attendants on how much
>radiation they receive by flying over 30,000 feet for hundreds of thousands
>of miles per year?
>
>thanks,
>nan newell
>

The mean annual equivalent dose is typically 1-3 mSv per year.

I suggest you get a copy of the British Medical Journal, Volume 311, 9 Sept
1995, pages 649-652 entitled "Incidence of cancer among Finnish airline
cabin attendants, 1967-92". 1577 women were followed up for an average of
13.9 years. They found a significant excess of breast cancer (standardised
incidence ratio 1.87 (95%CI 1.15-2.23). When the expected number of breast
cancer was corrected by the standardised incidence ratio of Finland's social
class 1, then the standardised incidence ratio was reduced to 1.4 (95%CI
0.9-2.2).

Richard Smart PhD
Department of Nuclear Medicine
St. George Hospital
Kogarah, NSW 2217
Australia
Tel:61 2 350 3112
Fax:61 2 350 3991
Email:R.Smart@unsw.edu.au