The one fact that remains with me, is that for every 4000 feet increase in altitude, your exposure to cosmic radiation doubles.
No, the correct number is roughly double for every 6000 feet. Above FL 360 the curve gets very very vertical...especially important at high Lats and during sun spot activity!
But to answer JJ's question...
ALPA commissioned a study about 5 years ago in conjunction with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in which we attempted to answer this very question. Some of you may remember the surveys that we made available to every pilot in the association. We also combined a study on pilot mortality with a study that was begun under the FPA by Dr. Glenda G., wife of a former block rep, that dealt with mortality in cargo pilots. This study used the governments National Death Index (NDI) and included ALPA pilots back to the late 60's and early 70's. This is in addition to a study we sponsored dealing with female pilots related issues.
These studies are all availiable upon request from ALPA Aeromedical and have also been published in numerous journals...all easily googleable...(is that a word, not sure).
The bottom line with all of our studies is that pilots have a better overall health profile than just about any work group in the US. Studies in the EU and Japan echo this data.
This may be hard to believe for some of us, but not really when you factor in the basic demographic of most current airline pilots and our lifestyles. We have the smallest percentage of smoking of any work group, we have better than average health insurance, we use our health benefits more than just about anybody else and probably most importantly we are about the only work group in the country that is medically tested twice a year. No matter how easy your AME goes on you, it is still much more than most people get. Along with that is that we need to be healthy to maintain our medical certificate to earn a living. We just take better care of ourselves...yeah I know hard to believe when you look at some of us in the crew rooms. But go to Wal-Mart, Costco etc. and take a good look at the general public...then think about the average pilot....things that make you go hmmm!
In statistical jargon this is known as the healthy worker effect. And overall we are very healthy!
This forum is too limiting to discuss this subject, however as a co author of 3 of these studies I would be happy to share the data with anyone. Just contact me with a PM.
I would also direct you to ALPA's Aeromedical page on the ALPA website. It has some useful data on radiation and some useful links. For a very good inflight radiation counter / predictor I would recommend the CARI model that CAMI (Civil Aeromedical Institute) has developed. Dr. Wally Frieberg is a bit of a mad scientist, but also a bit of a genius who has dedicated many years of work studying inflight radiation exposure. He is the creator of the CARI model. There are also a number of models available from the EU...all are easily found with google. Another good source of info is Captain Joyce M. of American Airlines. Joyce has championed inflight radiation research for many years and is a great source of info, espcially for female pilots. Bottom line here is DON"T FLY in the FIRST TRIMESTER if you can at all avoid it! You may also look for Dr. Rob Barrish's book "The Silent Passenger". A bit scary read for us, but again a good source of info.
Lastly, because no one seems to trust this kind of info, I would recommend that if you are really concerned that you contact Dr. Don Hudson or Dr. Quay Snyder at ALPA's Aeromedical Advisory Service (AMAS). They obviously will not discuss individual cases, but they will share the data that they have collected from over 25 years. This data again echos what the studies have shown.
Now, the disclaimer...I had melanoma as many of us have. The one cancer that we consistently have a higher rate of than the general public...3 times higher to be exact...is melanoma. This has also been shown in studies done in the EU, Scandanavia and Japan. It is the same percentage for cargo and pax pilots. Day, night, non-sked, sked...it does not seem to matter. No one is quite sure why, however the current theory is circadian disruptions causing chemical imbalances in the body. Not laying by the pool on a layover or inflight sun exposure as is often suggested. This is a subject that hopefully will be studied in the near future.
If you've read this far, thank you...now a quick word about your medical. Please be progressive and aggressive in protecting it! Don't try to hide problems...BP, diabetes or especially cardiac issues. Seek early intervention and treatment. The FAA is becoming much more progressive in their approach to these issues and they are not a death sentence to you career! My pet peeve is BP issues...there is simply no reason to try and hide these. The FAA approves almost every medicne in use today for treatment of BP problems...and you don't even loose your medical while your getting started on a treatment. Please call AMAS, your associations docs or even your AME...don't try and get by with this stuff!
Cheers,
AKG