Cosmic Radiation

[wxdoppler]

I was jsing the other day at cruise altitude and had the crew asked me if we take into account radiation or solar flare activity for flight level consideration so they don’t dose themselves too much. I know NOAA/NWS have products. I have heard recent medical studies for career pilots and an uptick from cancer.

Curious if any of you actually look at this? I know possibly the Delta met department might and Republic might look at this from time to time. The thing that popped into my mind was HF comms being degraded not health.

 

[Yurie158]

United looks at it yes esp if it is a s4 or s5. We have procedures in our manuals when this phenomenon occurs

 

[wxdoppler]

I work the domestic side, I know international it can effect comms overall on the long all. Interesting

 

[MacJohn92]

We have ozone filters on our WSI Fusion when planning flights. Although we see it more in the winter, that filter is used all year long. When I see ozone detected at FL360 and above over some areas, I plan my flights at FL340 and below and advise my crews.

 

[inigo88]

Not a dispatcher but figured I would link the NOAA space weather prediction center products because I think it’s interesting.

Homepage | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

www.swpc.noaa.gov

I thought it was geared primarily towards satellites/amateur radio, but they do have an aviation specific dashboard.

Aviation Community Dashboard | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

www.swpc.noaa.gov

Seems like the D Region absorption (x-rays?) and GOES proton flux would be relevant to high altitude human exposure to ionizing radiation. Pretty cool you can quantify this stuff!

 

[form810]

I was jsing the other day at cruise altitude and had the crew asked me if we take into account radiation or solar flare activity for flight level consideration so they don’t dose themselves too much. I know NOAA/NWS have products. I have heard recent medical studies for career pilots and an uptick from cancer.

Curious if any of you actually look at this? I know possibly the Delta met department might and Republic might look at this from time to time. The thing that popped into my mind was HF comms being degraded not health.

A couple of rich dudes' wives' planes have tanning booths installed. Does that count?

 

[ppragman]

Not a dispatcher and don't fly anymore, but for all occupational safety and health stuff NIOSH is a damn gem.

Aircrew Safety & Health - Cosmic Ionizing Radiation | NIOSH | CDC

Aircrew and passengers are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation on every flight. Here you can learn more about cosmic ionizing radiation, how you can be exposed, exposure levels, and possible health effects

www.cdc.gov

In particular from there:

anecdotally, my buddy took a dosimeter to work on a more or less round-the-world trip and didn't see a huge uptick above background rates.

To me, it seems likely that the food at Dubuque Applebees is far more likely to cause severe health effects unless you are flying in the high and low lattitudes frequently, at really high altitudes, but I'm not a medical professional. That said, if I was working for say, Atlas, or doing corporate flights in the high flight levels and north of 45 degrees a lot... I'd probably wear sunscreen - maybe even at night lol.

 

[Stone Cold]

Not a dispatcher and don't fly anymore, but for all occupational safety and health stuff NIOSH is a damn gem.

Aircrew Safety & Health - Cosmic Ionizing Radiation | NIOSH | CDC

Aircrew and passengers are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation on every flight. Here you can learn more about cosmic ionizing radiation, how you can be exposed, exposure levels, and possible health effects

www.cdc.gov

In particular from there:

View attachment 73870
anecdotally, my buddy took a dosimeter to work on a more or less round-the-world trip and didn't see a huge uptick above background rates.

To me, it seems likely that the food at Dubuque Applebees is far more likely to cause severe health effects unless you are flying in the high and low lattitudes frequently, at really high altitudes, but I'm not a medical professional. That said, if I was working for say, Atlas, or doing corporate flights in the high flight levels and north of 45 degrees a lot... I'd probably wear sunscreen - maybe even at night lol.

I have SPF 15 face lotion that I put on my head, face, neck, and back of the hands, before every flight, and most days at home. I also wear a light hoodie when in cruise on flights over 1 hour, with sleeves rolled down.

 

[inigo88]

That said, if I was working for say, Atlas, or doing corporate flights in the high flight levels and north of 45 degrees a lot... I'd probably wear sunscreen - maybe even at night lol.

This solution would work for UV but not so good at the higher frequencies. For ionizing radiation our skin can block alpha (you just don’t want to eat/breath it) and the fuselage skin probably takes care of beta but hoodies and sunscreen aren’t any match for x-ray or gamma rays.

It’s not unlike astronauts doing long term stays on ISS. You’re above the magnetosphere and the walls of the space station are paper thin and aren’t going to protect you from significant radiation, but under normal circumstances with low solar activity you should still probably be fine. Even the Apollo astronauts transiting the Van Allen radiation belts (above LEO and on the way to the moon) apparently didn’t get exposed to too much radiation because they passed through fairly quickly. It’s the big coronal mass ejection events I would worry about, both in space and to a lesser extent at high altitude, and in those cases if you’re on the ISS I think your best bet is getting advance warning and evacuating.

Edit: Related article on what would happen to astronauts on the moon during a CME and how to mitigate the risk:

NASA - Sickening Solar Flares

 

[ppragman]

This solution would work for UV but not so good at the higher frequencies. For ionizing radiation our skin can block alpha (you just don’t want to eat/breath it) and the fuselage skin probably takes care of beta but hoodies and sunscreen aren’t any match for x-ray or gamma rays.

It’s not unlike astronauts doing long term stays on ISS. You’re above the magnetosphere and the walls of the space station are paper thin and aren’t going to protect you from significant radiation, but under normal circumstances with low solar activity you should still probably be fine. Even the Apollo astronauts transiting the Van Allen radiation belts (above LEO and on the way to the moon) apparently didn’t get exposed to too much radiation because they passed through fairly quickly. It’s the big coronal mass ejection events I would worry about, both in space and to a lesser extent at high altitude, and in those cases if you’re on the ISS I think your best bet is getting advance warning and evacuating.

Edit: Related article on what would happen to astronauts on the moon during a CME and how to mitigate the risk:

NASA - Sickening Solar Flares

well there ya go!

 

[wxdoppler]

I have SPF 15 face lotion that I put on my head, face, neck, and back of the hands, before every flight, and most days at home. I also wear a light hoodie when in cruise on flights over 1 hour, with sleeves rolled down.

Very cool!

 

[wxdoppler]

This solution would work for UV but not so good at the higher frequencies. For ionizing radiation our skin can block alpha (you just don’t want to eat/breath it) and the fuselage skin probably takes care of beta but hoodies and sunscreen aren’t any match for x-ray or gamma rays.

It’s not unlike astronauts doing long term stays on ISS. You’re above the magnetosphere and the walls of the space station are paper thin and aren’t going to protect you from significant radiation, but under normal circumstances with low solar activity you should still probably be fine. Even the Apollo astronauts transiting the Van Allen radiation belts (above LEO and on the way to the moon) apparently didn’t get exposed to too much radiation because they passed through fairly quickly. It’s the big coronal mass ejection events I would worry about, both in space and to a lesser extent at high altitude, and in those cases if you’re on the ISS I think your best bet is getting advance warning and evacuating.

Edit: Related article on what would happen to astronauts on the moon during a CME and how to mitigate the risk:

NASA - Sickening Solar Flares

Awesome ! Makes sense!