Re: Exposure during Cross Country Flights

["H.B. Knowles" <hbknowls@ix.netcom.com>]

At 11:40 05/10/1999 Monday-0500, you wrote:
>I found the NCRP report, "Radiation Exposure and High-altitude Flight".  It 
>was published as NCRP Commentary No. 12 which was issued on July 21, 1995.  
>The newer generation of commercial aircraft can fly higher, thereby 
>increasing crew and passenger doses.  The Concorde aircraft carries an 
>alarming radiation monitor.  To my knowledge it only has gone off once.  the 
>dose results were inconclusive.  the highest exposure routes are those over 
>the north Atlantic.  This is due to the weakening of the Earth's magnetic 
>field which allows more cosmic radiation to get through.   There's a lot of 
>naturally occurring ionizing radiation at high altitudes and in outer space, 
>which makes for some interesting radiation safety and health physics 
>problems.  As  believer in radiation hormesis I think it's probably good for 
>you.  So keep flying!!
>
>Ken Hardy
>hardykphys@aol.comF

FOR THOSE SERIOUSLY  INTERESTED IN AIRFLIGHT RADIATION EXPOSURE:

The FAA puts out a little program on two 3-1/2 inch diskettes called "CARI" I
have version 4Q installed and a more recent one that I haven't yet installed.
It is a DOS program (I can use it behind Windows 98) 

The authors are Dr. Wallace Friedburg and Dr, Keran O'Brian. Friedburg is with
the FAA  still while O'Brian is a consultant in Arizona. Both are well-known
sacientists in the nuclear cascade business.

The program allows you to input all the featurers of a trip by ait, including
takeoff and landing points, how long in the air on each leg and at what
alltitude, and has an additional parameter to be taken from the FAA website,
representing the level of solar activity.. All these impact the actual dose
received: it is greater in higher latitudes, of course. With the present
neutron "quality factors" (or whatever ICRP wants to call them now)
approximately 40% of the 30,000 ft dose rate is neutrons, so if someone carries
the typical pocket dosimeter, he is only getting half the dose rate. 
        I would prefer that the interested parties contact the FAA directly
and 
request this program (no charge when I last heard). PLease don't call me. Iam
sure that the program can be obtained without bothering either of these two
busy gentlemen.

 
H.B. Knowles, PhD, Physics Consulting
4030 Hillcrest Rd, El Sobrante, CA 94803
Phone\Fax (510)758-5449
hbknowls@ix.netcom.com
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