Description:
Brand new 2nd edition with up-to-date
information:
At the flight altitudes of long-distance
commercial airline routes, cosmic radiation levels from our own sun and
other stars in the galaxy are normally more than100 times higher than
at ground level. Aircrew and frequent flyers often receive annual
exposures that exceed the dose limits allowed by law for members of
the public whose radiation exposure would come from proximity to
ground-based medical or industrial facilities.
Did you know?
- In 1994 the FAA
classified all flight crew as radiation workers.
- Since May 2000, European law requires that all
EU air carriers provide radiation training and dose assessment for their
aircrew.
- Pregnant women
who fly regularly, either as crewmembers or passengers, might exceed
recommended radiation exposure levels established for
pregnancy.
- Certain
"storms on the sun" can significantly raise in-flight radiation levels
beyond the norm for brief periods.
- The FAA wants aircrew to understand the health implications
of their occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and their scientists
have published extensively on the subject.
The 2009 Report of the National Council on
Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) concluded that the occupational
radiation doses received by pilots and flight attendants are the highest for any
worker group in the United States. They surpass the doses received by
employees in the fields of medicine, industry, education, government and even
nuclear power!
First published in 1996, The Invisible
Passenger: Radiation Risks
For People Who Fly remains
the only text that clearly explains in-flight radiation, and how exposure
to it might impact crew or passenger health. This revised and expanded
Second Edition brings the original material up to date and also includes
a new section on how a traveler can use the Internet to learn about solar
storms that might significantly increase radiation levels during their
travel.
Contents Include:
- Definitions
- Background Radiation
- Radiation
Protection Standards and Regulations
- The Low-Dose Radiation Controversy
- Radiation and the
In-Flight Environment
- In-Flight Exposures: Types of Risks
- Tracking Solar
Flares
- Measuring,
Recording, and Estimating Radiation Dose
- Radioactive Packages and Irradiated Food
- Recent
Developments and Summary
- Appendix A. Fundamentals of Radiation and Matter
- Appendix B.
Biological Interactions of Radiation
- Appendix C. How To Know If There Is A Solar
Particle Event In Progress
- Glossary of
terms
About the
Author:
Robert J. Barish, Ph.D. is a medical
physicist with an extensive background in the use of radiation in the
fields of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology. His twenty-year interest
in the subject of in-flight radiation and its potential impact on the
health of aircrew and business frequent flyers has made him an
acknowledged expert on the subject.
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