Flight Radiation

December 8, 2009

THE FRIENDLY SKIES MAY NOT PROVE VERY FRIENDLY TO AIRLINE PASSENGERS WHO FLY TOO CLOSE TO LIGHTNING WHILE IN MID-AIR. A NEW STUDY SHOWS THEY COULD BE EXPOSED TO RADIATION EQUAL TO HUNDREDS OF CHEST X-RAYS.

RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, THE FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA CRUZ COLLABORATED ON THE STUDY. THEY SAY THAT FOR EXPOSURE, AIR TRAVELERS HAVE TO END UP AT THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME. THE PHENOMENON CALLED A “TERRESTRIAL GAMMA RAY FLASH” DOESN’T OCCUR VERY OFTEN, AND EXPERTS AREN’T SURE HOW OFTEN PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED, BUT THE GAMMA RAY FLASHES DO OCCUR AT ROUGHLY THE SAME ALTITUDE USED BY JET AIRLINERS.

Dr. Martin Uman, UF lightning researcher: “If they encounter a plane, they go right through the plane and they deliver an equivalent radiation dose of 400 chest x-rays or so to the passengers and crew.”

AIR TRAVEL TYPICALLY MEANS FACING SOME ELEVATED RADIATION LEVELS FROM COSMIC RAYS, BUT EXPERTS SAY THESE RARE AND POWERFUL TERRESTRIAL GAMMA RAY FLASHES ARE LARGER AND OCCUR NEAR THE START OF A LIGHTNING DISCHARGE.

Dr. Martin Uman, UF lightning researcher: “These electron beams-electrons traveling at the speed of light in the cloud over an area about the size of a football field.”

SINCE LIGHTNING HITS A FEW COMMERCIAL PLANES EACH YEAR, EXPERTS SAY MORE INVESTIGATION INTO THESE GAMMA-RAY FLASHES IS NEEDED.