Radiation shielding is not a solution – radiation protection of air crews

Abstract

Abstract In most working environments it is fairly easy to minimize radiation doses of workers as postulated by radiation protection basics: Increasing the distance to the radiation source, reducing the exposure time, and the use of protective clothing or shielding. With air crews however, being the largest group of exposed persons and receiving the highest collective doses, classical protective measures are difficult or even impossible to enforce. Without neglecting the economical situation, effective measures could nevertheless be realized. Planning flights at slightly lower altitudes and further away from the geomagnetic poles can significantly reduce the radiation exposure for both crew and passengers. Furthermore, affordable high-quality dosimeters with the size of mobile phones have reached marketability. If installed on board, they could measure and display the actually received radiation during normal operation and additionally warn the flight crew in case of an abnormally high dose rate during solar particle events. Pilots could react to such warnings according to procedures that are yet to be installed.