6 ms·
LA - NY is multiple chest x-rays (see the chart from the poster below you, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose#/media/File%3AExposure_chart-X
by not_a_moth 7y ago
LA - NY is multiple chest x-rays (see the chart from the poster below you, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose#/media/File%3AExposure_chart-XKCD.svg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose#/medi...). There is no such thing as a standard hour either - altitude and latitude are the biggest factors - long haul flights have it worst.
Let's drop the nuclear worker max as if it should bear on normal folks: Well known doctors like Peter Attia, Rhonda Patricks, and others I've heard on podcasts recommend max 5 mSv per year as limit that risks health and accelerating aging.
Another ref, look at the FAA's data where they measure exposure on different flights: https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2010s/media/201413.pdf https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oam...
e.g. NYC to Tokyo averages 22 microSV per hour. A chest x-ray is 20 miscroSV.
- JMTQp8lwXL 7y agoIf you want to go with the 5 mSv limit, and a chest x-ray is 20 μSv, that's still 833 chest x-rays per year before hitting your annual quota.
- not_a_moth 7y agoSorry your math adds up to 250 not 833 x-rays. Importantly - each year simple, normal living exposes you to 3.5 mSv (see the same chart), so you only get 1.5 mSv to "allocate" to other exposures. In other words you only get 75 chest x-rays per year. By FAA rates of exposure on trans-pacific flights, you should take max 5-6 of those legs per year.