Authors
Grajewski-B; Waters-MA; Whelan-EA; Bloom-TF
Source
Am J Ind Med 2002 Jan 41(1):27-37
Abstract
NIOSH is conducting health studies of female flight attendants. Exposures of interest include cosmic radiation and circadian rhythm disruption, however, the data needed to estimate cumulative radiation dose are not found in work histories. We developed an algorithm to generate from work histories the required input data for Federal Aviation Administration radiation estimation software and evaluated whether effects of cumulative radiation dose could be distinguished analytically from effects of circadian rhythm disruption. The algorithm has relatively low bias (<6%) for longer flights, which contribute most to cumulative radiation dose. In one NIOSH study, 44 crew incurred an estimated average annual occupational dose of 1.5-1.7 mSv. Selection of a study population flying predominantly North-South flights can provide the necessary distinction between radiation and time zone crossing exposures. Methods developed will be useful for exposure assessment in cabin crew studies with relatively short study periods, (e.g., reproductive health studies) for which limited flight history details are generally available.
Keywords
Radiation; Radiation-exposure; Radiation-measurement; Radiation-monitoring; Circadian-rhythms; Flight-personnel; Women; Air-transportation; Aircrews; Altitude; Epidemiology; Exposure-levels; Occupational-exposure; Occupational-health; Mathematical-models; Risk-analysis; Ionizing-radiation;
Author Keywords: cosmic radiation; fight attendant; epidemiologic research design; occupational exposure
Contact
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 4676 Columbia Parkway, R13, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
BAG2@CDC.GOV
Priority Area
Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
Source Name
American Journal of Industrial Medicine