Do you wear sunscreen?

[ArcticFlier]

Nope........never have. Any skin issues I've had have been in places sunlight only sees at the beach (had more than my share...........damn surfing ), or when I've been working in the yard. In other words, no correlation between flying and skin cancer.....................

AF

 

[Gorilla]

Guys, don't confuse UV radiation (sunburn) with cosmic/solar radiation. UV is light, photons, and is easily blocked with sunscreen or most plex windows. Look at the thin sunglasses which block "100 UVA/UVB"... they're not exctly NASA materials.

Cosmic rays are another matter, a mix of energetic particles, and electromagnetic radiation of a MUCH higher frequency and energy. Think X-rays. Strong X-rays go through solid materials, then whack your body, before exiting the other side. On their way through, they cause cellular and chromosomal damage.

High flight levels and high latitudes contribute hugely to radiation exposure. Domestic flying in the 20's and lower 30's isn't bad, but stuff at FL400, and especially NAT work at say 60 North and higher, is bad juju. I would strongly consider not doing North Atlantic for years and years.

What is it, a couple of chest X-rays each pond crossing? It's not trivial.

 

[Catbert]

Guys, don't confuse UV radiation (sunburn) with cosmic/solar radiation. UV is light, photons, and is easily blocked with sunscreen or most plex windows. Look at the thin sunglasses which block "100 UVA/UVB"... they're not exctly NASA materials.

Cosmic rays are another matter, a mix of energetic particles, and electromagnetic radiation of a MUCH higher frequency and energy. Think X-rays. Strong X-rays go through solid materials, then whack your body, before exiting the other side. On their way through, they cause cellular and chromosomal damage.

Almost.

Just to be real nerdy: uv, x-rays, visible light, cosmic radiation, radio, etc. are all just names for slices of a continuum of electromagnetic energy propagated by photons at different frequencies. Different frequencies convey different amounts of energy (higher frequency=higher energy). Therefore they each interact differently with the human body.

Don't even get started on what a particle is...

And no, I don't wear sunblock in the plane. I probably should.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Almost.

Just to be real nerdy: uv, x-rays, visible light, cosmic radiation, radio, etc. are all just names for slices of a continuum of electromagnetic energy propagated by photons at different frequencies. Different frequencies convey different amounts of energy (higher frequency=higher energy). Therefore they each interact differently with the human body.

Don't even get started on what a particle is...

And no, I don't wear sunblock in the plane. I probably should.

Higher freq does not necessarily = higher energy. That would be amplitude.
Don't believe me? try taking high power LF or ELF. Best of luck.

CE

 

[ExpWayVis31]

Cosmic rays are another matter, a mix of energetic particles, and electromagnetic radiation of a MUCH higher frequency and energy. Think X-rays. Strong X-rays go through solid materials, then whack your body, before exiting the other side. On their way through, they cause cellular and chromosomal damage.

All good reasons why the mandatory age 60 retirement age should remain...even better drop it down to age 55

 

[Chewbacca]

I wear sunscreen everyday, not just for flying, but when I am on the ground. The AZ sun is bloddy hot!

The FAA had this come out a while back, has very good info to make yourself feel better about the profession.

http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/Ac12052.html

Pretty much over a 30 year span of flying, 6 out of 100,000 pilots will die of cancer from flying. I think thats pretty good odds.

 

[AV1ATRX]

We may not be getting UV rays while inflight, but how many walk-arounds do you do a day? I am polar-bear white (thanks to my Swedish ancesters) and very prone to burning, so I wear it every day. Daily exposure adds up.

 

[FN FAL]

If you fly unpressurized planes, the plexiglass windows don't screen anything...if anything, you get more of the UV rays than a person on the ground.

 

[tomgoodman]

Nanook is doomed

...how many walk-arounds do you do a day? I am polar-bear white .....

A friend who lives in the high latitudes just phoned me in a panic. He does constant walk-arounds and he IS a polar bear!

 

[AV1ATRX]

Is he dating a Panda?

(That one's for all the Jim Gaffigan fans out there!! You know who you are!)

 

[Prof. ATP]

Do any of you wear sunblock on a regular basis when you're flying?

Funny: I cannot remember ever wearing sunblock in an airplane, but I will not get into a glider without it, because there is no place to hide from the Sun under that canopy. Yesterday (3+ hours of ridge soaring) I did a double application before takeoff.

Today, I got a sunburn on a long road bike ride, despite the sunscreen.

 

[mcjohn]

Most likely you sweated it off.

 

[Burt Reynolds]

http://www0.gsf.de/epcard/eng_fluginput.php

 

[Gorilla]

To continue along the dork fork, cosmic rays are both accelerated particles and EM radiation.

http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/cosmic_rays.html

The different nuclei, nucleotides, and other itty bitty missiles have different abilities to penetrate and cause damage. I honestly have no idea what danger particles pose to an aircrew as opposed to EM radiation like X and gamma rays; probably not a lot.

Anyway, dosimeters carried by pilots reveal that indeed, we are getting whacked with significant radiation.

 

[Catbert]

To continue along the dork fork, cosmic rays are both accelerated particles and EM radiation.

http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/cosmic_rays.html

The different nuclei, nucleotides, and other itty bitty missiles have different abilities to penetrate and cause damage. I honestly have no idea what danger particles pose to an aircrew as opposed to EM radiation like X and gamma rays; probably not a lot.

Anyway, dosimeters carried by pilots reveal that indeed, we are getting whacked with significant radiation.

Good point.