High Altitude Radiation Monitoring Service PO Box 409, Arlington, VT 05250. We frequently receive letters asking about monitoring, radiation and health related issues. We hope that the following sheds light. Please send any questions for future editions. Flying can expose reproductive cells and the unborn to ionizing radiation.
Ionizing radiation can cause genetic defects.
In most cases, the levels of radiation on board an aircraft translate to a low level of risk to the unborn child. With an increase in solar activity comes an increase in solar flares. Astronauts are at much greater risk than crew of commercial aircraft. However some aircraft are exposed to increased levels of radiation during solar storms. Earth's atmosphere and magnetosphere allow adequate protection for us on the ground, but astronauts in space are subject to potentially lethal dosages of radiation.