Cosmic Radiation Exposure on Canadian-Based Commercial Airline Routes

Abstract

As a result of the recent recommendations of ICRP 60 and in anticipation of possible regulation on occupational exposure of commercial aircrew, a two-part investigation was carried out over a one-year period to determine the total dose equivalent on representative Canadian-based flight routes. As part of the study, a dedicated scientific measurement flight (using both a conventional suite of powered detectors and passive dosimetry) was used to characterise the complex mixed radiation field and to intercompare the various instrumentation. In the other part of the study, volunteer aircrew carried (passive) neutron bubble detectors during their routine flight duties. From these measurements, the total dose equivalent was derived for a given route with a knowledge of the neutron fraction as determined from the scientific flight and computer code (CARI-LF) calculations. This investigation has yielded an extensive database of over 3100 measurements providing the total dose equivalent for 385 different routes. By folding in flight frequency information and the accumulated flight hours, the annual occupational exposures of 26 flight crew have also been determined. This study has indicated that most Canadian-based domestic and international aircrew will exceed the proposed annual ICRP 60 public limit of 1 mSv.y-1, but will he well below the occupational limit of 20 mSv.y-1.

Bubble detector characterization for space radiation

“…Once these bubbles are counted, a given detector can be reset by compressing the bubbles back into the gel. This detector is sensitive to neutrons, but insensitive to low-LET radiation (i.e., photons) and has found wide application in both terrestrial and airline applications for neutron measurement [13,14]. This technology has also been used by Bubble Technology Industries (BTI)/Canadian Space Agency (CSA) researchers in several space missions to measure the neutron spectrum and the neutron dose in biosatellites, inside the space shuttle and on the Russian MIR space station [15][16][17].…”

The CERN-EU High-energy Reference Field (CERF) Facility for Dosimetry at Commercial Flight Altitudes and in Space

“…A wide range of active instruments and passive devices has been employed in several measurement campaigns, mainly on-board commercial flights but also on some dedicated flights (see, for example, refs. (3,4,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13) ).…”

Assesment and evaluation of excess lifetime cancer risk for Occupants of university of Uyo permanent campus, Nigeria

“…Equally, our mean value is below the recommended annual stochastic limit of 1mSv/yr. for the general public (Lewis et al 1999). Fig 2 shows the contour map of the annual equivalent dose rate of the entire study area.…”