Lightning-related radiation for air travel?

[Jason Harris]

Check it out--anyone heard of this before?

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Scientists at Florida Institute of Technology, University of California-Santa Cruz and the University of Florida conclude that airplane passengers could be exposed to a radiation dose equal to that from 400 chest x-rays if their airplane happens to be near the start of a lightning discharge or related phenomena known as a terrestrial gamma ray flash (TGF).

http://www.fit.edu/newsroom/news/3746/lightningproduced_radiation_a_potential_health_concern_for_air_travelers/

pdf download of journal article available:
http://www.agu.org/contents/journals/ViewPapersInPress.do?journalCode=JD


Howard, J., M. Uman, C. Biagi, D. Hill, J. Jerauld, V. A. Rakov, J. Dwyer, Z. Saleh, and H. Rassoul (2009),

RF and x-ray source locations during the lightning attachment process,

J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1029/2009JD012055, in press.

[PDF] (accepted 20 October 2009)

 

[D. Hayes]

I'd put this up there with your chances of being struck by lightning. Interesting fact though.