KEYNOTE ADDRESS: RECOMMENDATIONS, REGULATIONS AND ROUTINE RADIATION PROTECTION FOR THE COSMIC RADIATION EXPOSURE OF AIRCRAFT CREW

摘要

Aircraft crew and frequent flyers are exposed to elevated levels of cosmic radiation of galactic and solar origin and secondary radiation produced in the atmosphere, the aircraft structure and its contents. Following the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection in Publication 60, the European Union has introduced a revised Basic Safety Standards Directive which includes exposure to natural sources of ionizing radiation, including cosmic radiation, as occupational exposure. The revised Directive is being incorporated into laws and regulations in the European Union's Member States. Where the assessment of the occupational exposure of aircraft crew is necessary, the preferred approach to monitoring is by the recording of staff flying times and typical route doses, that is, effective dose rates integrated over the flight profile. Route doses may be obtained from calculations based on, and validated by, measurements. The paper outlines, in respect of the cosmic radiation exposure of aircraft crew, the International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendations, the revised Basic Safety Standards Directive and current regulatoryrnposition, the proposed translation into national law in the particular case of the United Kingdom, and the method of exposure assessment using a computer software package (EPCARD) based on measurements carried out by European laboratories.