New Study Examines Flightcrew Radiation Exposure Assessment

Radiation Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Mitigation Strategies

A recent study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine sheds new light on assessing the effects galactic cosmic radiation and solar energetic particles can have on flight crews and the subsequent actions the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. airlines should take.

On June 12, the National Academies released the report “Assessing Radiation Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Mitigation Strategies for Flightcrew Members.” This study has been a top concern of ALPA’s Air Safety Organization Health and Environmental Working Group, whose members monitored the study team’s activities and progress.

Background

Due to the extended periods of time that flight crews spend at high altitudes, airline pilots and flight attendants are routinely exposed to galactic cosmic radiation and, in rare instances, solar energetic particles associated with solar storms.

Although the amount of radiation during any given flight is relatively low, exposure levels differ depending on the routes flown and typically intensify at higher altitudes and on flights that approach Earth’s magnetic poles. In addition, cumulative ionizing radiation across the course of one’s career can be a factor in developing certain cancers and other illnesses. However, more research is needed.

Because of these exposure concerns on the hundreds of thousands of U.S. flightcrew members, Congress, through the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, directed the U.S. Department of Transportation to sponsor a study by the National Academies. Experts were chosen to form the Committee on Assessing Radiation Exposure, Health Outcomes, and Mitigation Strategies for Flight Crewmembers, which conducted the study. Participants included Capt. Lindsay Fenwick (Northwest, Ret.), a former ALPA safety volunteer who provided guidance on the piloting profession, including bidding systems and an overview of other flight operations aspects.

Findings

In its report, the committee asserted that airline flight crews appear to have the highest average occupational radiation exposure of any U.S. worker group. While the FAA has provided some guidance in recent decades, including a 2014 advisory circular about the need to better educate flight crews about in-flight radiation exposure, current agency infrastructure to track accumulation levels, assessments of health conditions related to cosmic radiation exposure, and the subsequent communications to relay this information are outdated and lack consistency.

The committee suggested the FAA needs to do more to assess workplace risks and communicate clear and useful information about what flight crews are experiencing. It concluded that pilots and flight attendants need better monitoring and protocols to assess cumulative radiation exposure throughout their airline careers. It also provided some preliminary guidelines for radiation exposure as it relates to pregnant flightcrew members.

Outside the United States

While the focus of the report was U.S. specific, in Canada and Europe, flight crews are considered occupationally exposed to cosmic radiation, and airlines are expected to monitor and manage flightcrew exposures subject to occupational health and safety legislation and EU directives, respectively.

Recommended FAA Actions to Support Flightcrew Health

In terms of immediate action, the committee called for the FAA to exert its regulatory authority and better support flightcrew health and safety. The agency could initiate this process through the creation of a national cumulative radiation registry, integration of real‑time flightpath‑based exposure modeling (e.g., CARI‑7A, referencing the Civil Aviation Research Institute, now the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute), and additional research and development of protective standards to align aviation with other radiation‑regulated professions.

The creation of a user friendly, online application to share this information was also suggested.

The committee further proposed that the FAA require U.S. airlines to implement radiation safety programs aligned with best practices for radiation protection. Features of these programs should include what it referred to as radiation “dose” monitoring, training, education, risk communication, and accommodations for pregnant workers. It also urged airlines and labor organizations to better collaborate on more beneficial scheduling practices from a safety standpoint.

“We hope our report will be a guide to revising approaches to the problem, strengthen oversight, and empower crewmembers with the information they need to make decisions about their health,” remarked committee chair Dr. Jonathan Samet, a professor of epidemiology and occupational health and former dean at the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado.

The National Academies’ radiation research is one of three studies mandated by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The other two reports address cabin air quality and the effects of aircraft cabin temperature.