Clouds May Expose Travelers to Radiation

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Airline passengers on planes flying near or through lightning storms could be exposed to harmful levels of radiation, according to LiveScience .

A new study in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres suggests lightning discharges, or a related phenomena known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, could expose airline passengers to levels of radiation equivalent to 400 chest X-rays.

The chances of encountering these lightning events is very small, according to the researchers, who added that airline passengers are always exposed to slightly higher radiation levels due to cosmic rays that bombard Earth's upper atmosphere constantly but typically don't make it to the surface.

Airline passengers would be exposed to this high level of radiation only if their plane happens to be near the origin of a lightning discharge or a gamma-ray flash. According to the report, these types of radiation bursts are extremely brief, and scientists are not sure how often, if ever, this type of exposure occurs.

"We know that commercial airplanes are typically struck by lightning once or twice a year," said Joe Dwyer, professor of physics and space sciences at Florida Tech. "What we don't know is how often planes happen to be in just the right place or right time to receive a high radiation dose. We believe it is very rare, but more research is needed to answer the question definitively."

In May, an Air France jet crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after it was reportedly struck by lightning. Experts say that lightning alone usually won't bring down a plane , but along with turbulence, thunderstorms and ice, it is a hazard that could be very dangerous to flights.