Assessment of aircrew radiation exposure by further measurements and model development.

A methodology is presented for collecting and analysing exposure measurements from galactic cosmic radiation using a portable equipment suite and encapsulating these data into a semi-empirical model/Predictive Code for Aircrew Radiation Exposure (PCAIRE) for the assessment of aircrew radiation exposure on any flight over the solar cycle. The PCAIRE code has been validated against integral route dose measurements at commercial aircraft altitudes during experimental flights made by various research groups over the past 5 y with code predictions typically within +/-20% of the measured data. An empirical correlation, based on ground-level neutron monitoring data, is detailed further for estimation of aircrew exposure from solar particle events. The semi-empirical models have been applied to predict the annual and career exposure of a flight crew member using actual flight roster data, accounting for contributions from galactic radiation and several solar energetic-particle events over the period 1973-2002.

[1]  T. Gaisser.  Cosmic rays and particle physics , 2016 .

[2]  M. Pelliccioni,et al.  Dosimetric considerations on TEPC fluka-simulation and measurements. , 2004, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[3]  John W. Norbury,et al.  Transport Methods and Inter-actions for Space Radiations , 2003 .

[4]  A. R. Green,et al.  Galactic and solar radiation exposure to aircrew during a solar cycle. , 2002, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[5]  R. Bentley,et al.  The evaluation and use of a portable TEPC system for measuring in-flight exposure to cosmic radiation. , 2002, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[6]  S. Roesler,et al.  Monte Carlo calculation of the radiation field at aircraft altitudes. , 2002, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[7]  T. Dachev,et al.  Measurements on Board an Aircraft during an Intense Solar Flare, Grond Level Event 60, on April 15, 2001 (Letter to the Editor) , 2001 .

[8]  L. Lindborg,et al.  Cosmic radiation measurements on-board aircraft with the variance method. , 2001, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[9]  A. R. Green,et al.  Aircrew exposure from cosmic radiation on commercial airline routes. , 2001, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[10]  P Goldhagen,et al.  Overview Of Aircraft Radiation Exposure And Recent Er-2 Measurements , 2000, Health physics.

[11]  U. J. Shrewe.  Global Measurements of the Radiation Exposure of Civil Air Crews from 1997 to 1999 , 2000 .

[12]  S. Roesler,et al.  Physics of cosmic radiation fields. , 1999, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[13]  J. Courades.  European Legislatation on Protection Against Cosmic Radiation , 1999 .

[14]  D. Bartlett,et al.  In-flight Validation and Routine Measurements , 1999 .

[15]  A. R. Green,et al.  Cosmic radiation exposure on Canadian-based commercial airline routes. , 1999, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[16]  U. Schrewe.  Radiation exposure monitoring in civil aircraft , 1999 .

[17]  G. Badhwar,et al.  The radiation environment in low-Earth orbit. , 1997, Radiation research.

[18]  G. Reitz.  Radiation Environment in the Stratosphere , 1993 .

[19]  A. Kellerer,et al.  Considerations on a revision of the quality factor. , 1988, Radiation research.

[20]  Obrien,et al.  LUIN, a code for the calculation of cosmic ray propagation in the atmosphere. [In FORTRAN IV for CDC 6600] , 1978 .

[21]  K. O'brien,et al.  Calculated cosmic ray neutron monitor response to solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays , 1973 .

[22]  J. C. Vergara,et al.  Monitoring of the cosmic radiation on IBERIA commercial flights: One year's experience of in-flight measurements , 2005 .

[23]  Donald V. Reames,et al.  Solar energetic particle variations , 2004 .

[24]  M. Shea,et al.  The space-developed dynamic vertical cutoff rigidity model and its applicability to aircraft radiation dose. , 2003, Advances in space research : the official journal of the Committee on Space Research.

[25]  M. Shea,et al.  Calculations and observations of solar particle enhancements to the radiation environment at aircraft altitudes. , 2003, Advances in space research : the official journal of the Committee on Space Research.

[26]  J. V. van Dijk.  Dose assessment of aircraft crew in The Netherlands. , 2003, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[27]  K. O'brien.  On the atmospheric response to solar-particle events , 2001 .

[28]  I. Usoskin,et al.  The ground-level enhancement of 14 July 2000: Explaining the difference between near-by neutron monitors at Apatity and Oulu , 2001 .

[29]  M. Pelliccioni,et al.  Calculation of the radiation environment caused by galactic cosmic rays for determining air crew exposure. , 2001, Radiation protection dosimetry.

[30]  S. Roesler,et al.  Calculation of radiation fields in the atmosphere and comparison to experimental data. , 1998, Radiation research.

[31]  Nuclear Safety,et al.  Recommendations for the implementation of Title VII of the European Basic Safety Standards Directive (BSS) concerning significant increase in exposure due to natural radiation sources , 1997 .

[32]  K O'Brien,et al.  Atmospheric cosmic rays and solar energetic particles at aircraft altitudes. , 1996, Environment international.

[33]  R. Thomas.  The quality factor in radiation protection , 1987 .