Long-term dose measurements applying a human anthropomorphic phantom onboard an aircraft

Abstract

The exposure of aircrew personnel to cosmic radiation has been considered as occupational exposure in the European Union since the European Council Directive 96/26/EURATOM became effective on 13th May 1996. In Germany the corresponding safety standards for aircrew are regulated by the German Radiation Protection Ordinance, which implemented the European law in 2001. The radiation exposure of the flight crew of the LUFTHANSA group is calculated by the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Cologne, applying the calculation program EPCARD in the framework of the aircrew dose determination system CALculated and Verified Aviation DOSimetry (CALVADOS). Besides the operational dose calculations, DLR performs measurements at airflight altitudes using active (e.g. TEPC, DOSTEL, etc.) and passive (Thermoluminescence detectors (TLDs), bubble detectors) radiation detectors to verify the calculation codes. Within these activities the project BOdy DOsimetry (BODO) comprised a long-term exposure of a RANDO^© anthropomorphic phantom to measure the skin and the depth dose distribution inside a human torso applying TLDs at aviation altitudes for the first time. The torso was flown onboard a LUFTHANSA Cargo aircraft for 3 months from mid of July to mid of October 2004. Over 800 TLDs were positioned for depth dose measurements in the head, the thorax and the abdomen of the torso. In addition dosemeter packages have been distributed on the surface of the torso to measure the skin dose as well as in the transport container and on the flight deck.