Radiation dose to the global flying population

Abstract

Civil airliner passengers and crew are exposed to elevated levels of radiation relative to being at sea level. Previous studies have assessed the radiation dose received in particular cases or for cohort studies. Here we present the first estimate of the total radiation dose received by the worldwide civilian flying population. We simulated flights globally from 2000 to 2013 using schedule data, applying a radiation propagation code to estimate the dose associated with each flight. Passengers flying in Europe and North America exceed the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) annual dose limits at an annual average of 510 or 420 flight hours per year, respectively. However, this falls to 160 or 120 hours on specific routes under maximum exposure conditions.