Canadian-Based Aircrew Exposure From Cosmic Radiation on Commercial Airline Routes

Abstract

As part of a continuing study on the occupational exposure of Canadian-based aircrew, a Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) was used to monitor this exposure on 64 flight routes spanning a range of geomagnetic latitudes between 40 degrees S and 85 degrees N. The microdosimetric data obtained from these flights were compared to that obtained from several terrestrial sources and were used to characterize the radiation field at jet altitudes. From 20 000 ambient dose equivalent rates obtained at various altitudes and geomagnetic latitudes, a correlation was developed to allow for the interpolation of the dose rate for any global position, altitude and date. By integration of this dose rate function over a great circle flight path, a predictive code was developed to provide a total ambient dose equivalent prediction for a given flight.