Cosmic radiation during air travel: trends in exposure for aircrews and airline passengers

On the basis of a detailed survey on passengers arriving at or departing from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the 1988-1997 period, estimates of individual effective dose for specific destinations and the collective dose for all passengers travelling through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands were calculated. A computer model was used to calculate flight profiles for various types of aircraft and flying distances. This was followed by calculations using the CARI model to determine the dose for each flight profile. Most of the flights were regional European flights, resulting in individual effective doses of 1-15 μSv. Individual effective doses from intercontinental flights to North America and the Far East were mostly found in the range of 30-60 μSv per flight. These values may vary up to ±15 % due to the solar cycle. The individual effective dose on a one-way flight averaged over all flights was approximately 18 μSv. A group consisting of 4000 frequent flyers may receive doses above 1 mSv·a, while within the special group of couriers individual effective doses of 10 mSv a are possible. For aircrews, a dose range of 1.5-5.7 mSv·a was determined for 1000 block hours of flying. The collective dose for passengers flying through Schiphol increased from 230 to 600 manSv from 1988 to 2002. The collective dose for aircrews comprises about 6% of this dose. If a moderate growth in air transport of 4% per year is assumed, the collective dose will reach 1100 manSv in 2015.