Sep 18 2019
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We detect radioactivity on airplanes with the Geiger Counter

Natural radioactivity at high altitudes

The radioactivity present in the environment can be both artificial and natural. However, practically the contribution to the dose absorbed in a year by each biological being derives largely from natural radioactivity, which accounts for approximately 80-90% of the total dose.

In particular, the component due to cosmic rays increases significantly as we reach very high altitudes.

For example, already at 5000 meters above sea level the absorbed annual dose rises to approximately double that at sea level. At 9000 meters the exposure level actually increases by about 10 times.

In practice the higher altitude you go, the more cosmic radiation increases because the layer of atmosphere that acts as a screen for particles coming from interstellar space becomes thinner.

guardian ray plus professional geiger counter with pancake

If you find yourself traveling by plane, and you already own a Geiger counter, we recommend that you take it with you to do a simple and interesting experiment,

Before taking off, turn it on and take note of the background radioactivity which will probably be between 0 at the airport,10 / 0,22 uSV/h, then after takeoff, you will notice that as the quota increases, the value of radioactivity will also gradually increase, until the cruising altitude of approximately 9000/10000 meters above sea level is reached.

At this point you will notice that the measured value will be at least 10 times greater than the normal background radiation at sea level. Usually during the flight with ours contatore geiger Guardian Ray we found relatively significant values, i.e. around 4/5 microsieverts/hour.

Those traveling by plane could be harmed by high-altitude radioactivity, Let's see what official science says about it.

The overall radiation risk at high altitude for regular travelers is quite low, especially for the not very extensive routes.

For example, a long flight across the United States would be equivalent to undergoing a chest x-ray, and a chest x-ray is estimated to increase the risk of a fatal cancer by one in a million..

The best Geiger counters made in Italy, True Italian excellence.

Posted inGeiger counters Radioactivity

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