Air passengers left out of debate on radiation risks, conference told

Passengers are being left out of the debate about radiation exposure associated with modern air travel even though some frequent flyers might be in the air for longer periods than flight crews.

Day two of a three-day conference in Dublin on cosmic radiation and air-crew exposure emphasised the concerns of crews which received radiation doses at least twice and up to four times the exposure of nuclear power plant workers.

The discussions were mainly about pilots and cabin staff, stated Dr Stanley Mitchell of the European Cockpit Association, but the radiation also affected all passengers and "air couriers who possibly receive more radiation than flight crews".

"We really need to make sure that we know what the epidemiological data are telling us about health effects," he stated. The radiation source and the altitudes and latitudes where it was strongest were well known, he said, and this provided options on how to cut exposure. Measures such as flying lower, restricting staff annual flight hours and route selection could help.

Equally important, he said, was the provision of education, not just for staff but also for the public. He could foresee a future when at a flight's end a pilot would tell passengers of their radiation exposure level and how it was kept lower than competitor airlines.

Dr Wally Friedberg of the US Federal Aviation Administration told delegates to the conference, organised by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland in conjunction with the European Commission, that the FAA was "less inclined" to provide information about health risks because these health risks were not clearly understood. "You just don't know."

There was "more interest in Europe than in the US" in the radiation exposure issue, he suggested, although US flight trade unions were very interested.

Naturally occurring cosmic radiation constantly bombards the Earth. It comes from the Sun and from farther out in space. The atmosphere shields us from most of this radiation on the ground but exposure increases as altitude increases.