Flight Radiation Exposure Calculator

A typical long-haul flight at 35,000-40,000 ft exposes you to roughly 3-6 microsieverts (uSv) per hour of cosmic radiation, depending on latitude and solar activity. For example, a 10.5-hour Jakarta-Jeddah flight at 38,000 ft is estimated at 34.8-57.1 uSv. Short hops near the equator can be under 2 uSv per hour. This calculator shows the estimated range for your specific flight.

The estimate multiplies flight hours by a dose rate that grows exponentially with cruising altitude and is scaled by latitude zone: equatorial routes get a factor of 0.35-0.60, mid-latitude routes 0.70-1.15, and high-latitude or polar routes 1.00-1.40 relative to a 4.0 uSv/h reference at 36,000 ft. The reference and altitude curve are calibrated against FAA CARI-6 route data and published cosmic-ray measurements. The result is always a range, never a single exact number.

The US FDA lists an adult chest X-ray at about 0.02 millisieverts (20 uSv). A 10.5-hour Jakarta-Jeddah flight (34.8-57.1 uSv) is roughly equivalent to 1.74-2.85 chest X-rays, while a short Jakarta-Singapore hop (1.9-3.3 uSv) is about 0.10-0.17 of one chest X-ray. The calculator shows this comparison for every result.

At passenger dose levels, health agencies do not advise against flying because of cosmic radiation. A long-haul flight is typically 1-3% of the 2.4 millisieverts of natural background radiation the average person receives in a year (UNSCEAR). This page cannot assess personal health risk - it is an educational estimate only, not medical advice.

The atmosphere acts as a shield: at sea level it absorbs almost all cosmic radiation, but at cruising altitude roughly a third of that shielding is gone. That is why the dose rate climbs steeply with altitude - from under 1 uSv/h at 27,000 ft to about 4-6 uSv/h at 36,000-39,000 ft on mid-to-high-latitude routes.

Earth's magnetic field deflects incoming cosmic rays most strongly near the magnetic equator and barely at all near the poles. At the same cruising altitude, dose rates over polar regions are about twice those over the equator. That is why this calculator asks for the latitude zone of your route.

Yes. Cosmic-ray intensity varies with the 11-year solar cycle, and rare solar particle events can briefly raise dose rates at altitude far above normal. This calculator uses long-term average conditions (the same basis as the FAA CARI model), so it does not capture storm spikes. Aviation authorities monitor space weather for crew on polar routes.

Crew flying heavy long-haul schedules accumulate far more: published estimates put full-time North Atlantic aircrew at roughly 2,000-5,000 uSv per year. Enter your number of flights per year above to see an annual estimate for a repeated route. Aircrew exposure is regulated as an occupational exposure in several countries - this tool is not a compliance instrument.

Almost not at all. The thin aluminum skin stops very little of the high-energy secondary particles (neutrons, protons, muons) produced when cosmic rays hit the upper atmosphere. Cabin dose rates are essentially the same as outside the aircraft at the same altitude.

UNSCEAR estimates the worldwide average from natural sources at about 2.4 millisieverts (2,400 uSv) per year - from cosmic rays, radon, soil, food, and the body itself. A 2024 UNSCEAR update revised the global average to 3.0 mSv/year with more comprehensive data. This calculator compares each flight against 2.4 mSv/year and notes the update.

This calculator cannot answer that - it is not medical advice and not a risk assessment. General guidance from health agencies is that occasional flying involves very small doses, but anyone who is pregnant, flies extremely often, or works as aircrew should discuss personal exposure with a qualified health professional rather than relying on an online estimate.

It is an educational range calibrated against two independent sources: FAA CARI-6 per-route doses (e.g. Athens-New York at 41,000 ft = 6.3 uSv/h falls inside this model's high-latitude range) and published altitude-latitude tables (4.0 uSv/h at 36,000 ft / 60N, 1.67 uSv/h at the equator). Real flights vary with solar activity, exact routing, and time actually spent at cruise. The model is calibrated for 20,000-45,000 ft and flags altitudes outside that range.