Flight Radiation Calculator — Cosmic Radiation Dose per Flight
Find the effective radiation dose from cosmic rays during a flight. Enter the duration, cruise-altitude dose rate and route latitude — the calculator compares your dose to a chest X-ray, annual background and ICAO occupational limits.
h
μSv/h
Route latitude
Trip type
Effective dose received during the flight
- 1
Latitude-adjusted dose rate
4.5 × 1 = 4.5 μSv/hBaseline rate scaled by route latitude factor - 2
Total flight hours
10 h × 2 = 20 h - 3
Total radiation dose
20 × 4.5 = 90 μSv
How does this calculator work?
Radiation dose = duration × legs × dose_rate × latitude_factor. At typical mid-latitude cruise altitude (4.5 μSv/h), an 8-hour one-way flight gives about 36 μSv — roughly one-third of a chest X-ray (100 μSv) and 1.5% of annual natural background (2 400 μSv). Polar routes are about 35% higher; equatorial routes 20% lower.
Formula
How this is calculated
The Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field shield us from cosmic radiation, but at aircraft cruise altitudes (typically 10–12 km or 33 000–40 000 ft) that shielding is much thinner than at sea level. A person at sea level receives roughly 0.05–0.10 μSv/h from cosmic sources; at 10 km altitude that rises to about 3–6 μSv/h. The exact value depends on altitude (radiation roughly doubles for each 1.5–2 km increase above 5 km), latitude (the magnetic field is weakest near the poles, so polar routes receive about 35% more than mid-latitude routes), and the 11-year solar activity cycle (solar storms temporarily reduce galactic cosmic rays via the Forbush decrease effect).
The default dose rate of 4.5 μSv/h is representative of mid-latitude cruise routes at 35 000 ft. Polar and transpolar routes (multiplier 1.35) and equatorial routes (multiplier 0.80) are common alternative presets. All values can be edited to match specific conditions or published CARI-7 model outputs.
For context: a typical transatlantic economy return (≈16 h total) gives about 70–80 μSv — less than one chest X-ray (100 μSv). The annual natural background from all sources is about 2 400 μSv, and the ICAO limit for aircrew is 100 mSv averaged over 5 years (20 mSv/year). Frequent flyers who exceed 100 h per month over many years warrant occupational monitoring, but occasional travellers receive a small and well-tolerated dose.
Frequently asked questions
For occasional travellers, no. A transatlantic return typically delivers about 70–80 μSv — less than a single chest X-ray. Even frequent flyers (100 flights per year) would accumulate around 7 000–8 000 μSv, approaching but usually within ICAO occupational limits. The health risk at these doses is considered very small by international radiation protection bodies.
The Earth's magnetic field deflects charged cosmic-ray particles most effectively near the equator, where field lines are horizontal. Near the poles the field lines are nearly vertical, allowing more particles through. Polar routes at 60–90° latitude therefore receive about 35% more cosmic radiation than equivalent mid-latitude routes at the same altitude.
The ICRP recommends that the foetus not receive more than 1 mSv (1 000 μSv) during pregnancy. A few long-haul flights during pregnancy are well below this threshold. Pregnant aircrew should discuss route scheduling with their employer to stay well within guidelines over the full pregnancy term.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Flight Radiation Calculator — Cosmic Radiation Dose per Flight [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/flight-radiation-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Flight Radiation Calculator — Cosmic Radiation Dose per Flight." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/flight-radiation-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Flight Radiation Calculator — Cosmic Radiation Dose per Flight," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/flight-radiation-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_flight_radiation_calculator, title = {Flight Radiation Calculator — Cosmic Radiation Dose per Flight}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/flight-radiation-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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