Radiation at 36000 Feet! - Geiger Counter on an Airplane

Here is the data:


Person Monitoring: Tom
Location: USA Airspace over GA
Altitude: 36,001 feet
Station Name: Anti Proton
Geiger Counter Model: CRM-100 (LND 712)
Other Criteria: 37,282 feet on a irplane

Minute Date Time Count Total Counts Average Count Latitude Longitude Altitude
1 7/11/12 08:02 AM 359 359 359 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
2 7/11/12 08:03 AM 385 744 372 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
3 7/11/12 08:04 AM 393 1,137 379 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
4 7/11/12 08:05 AM 414 1,551 387 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
5 7/11/12 08:06 AM 416 1,967 393 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
6 7/11/12 08:07 AM 381 2,348 391 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
7 7/11/12 08:08 AM 397 2,745 392 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
8 7/11/12 08:09 AM 386 3,131 391 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
9 7/11/12 08:10 AM 376 3,507 389 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
10 7/11/12 08:11 AM 349 3,856 385 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
11 7/11/12 08:12 AM 281 4,137 376 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
12 7/11/12 08:13 AM 291 4,428 369 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
13 7/11/12 08:14 AM 273 4,701 361 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
14 7/11/12 08:15 AM 307 5,008 357 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001
15 7/11/12 08:16 AM 258 5,266 351 38.296410 -77.505548 36,001


Person Monitoring: Tom
Location: USA Airspace over SC
Altitude: 36,500 feet
Station Name: Anti Proton
Geiger Counter Model: Inspector EXP+
Other Criteria: 36,500 feet on airplane

Minute Date Time Count Total Counts Average Count Latitude Longitude Altitude
1 7/11/12 07:28 AM 453 453 453 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
2 7/11/12 07:29 AM 512 965 482 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
3 7/11/12 07:30 AM 574 1,539 513 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
4 7/11/12 07:31 AM 615 2,154 538 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
5 7/11/12 07:32 AM 747 2,901 580 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
6 7/11/12 07:33 AM 808 3,709 618 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
7 7/11/12 07:34 AM 895 4,604 657 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
8 7/11/12 07:35 AM 983 5,587 698 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
9 7/11/12 07:36 AM 1,082 6,669 741 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
10 7/11/12 07:37 AM 1,069 7,738 773 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
11 7/11/12 07:38 AM 1,084 8,822 802 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
12 7/11/12 07:39 AM 1,006 9,828 819 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
13 7/11/12 07:40 AM 1,081 10,909 839 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
14 7/11/12 07:41 AM 1,052 11,961 854 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
15 7/11/12 07:42 AM 1,050 13,011 867 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
16 7/11/12 07:43 AM 1,103 14,114 882 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
17 7/11/12 07:44 AM 1,011 15,125 889 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
18 7/11/12 07:45 AM 1,095 16,220 901 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
19 7/11/12 07:46 AM 1,039 17,259 908 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
20 7/11/12 07:47 AM 1,068 18,327 916 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
21 7/11/12 07:48 AM 1,031 19,358 921 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
22 7/11/12 07:49 AM 1,152 20,510 932 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
23 7/11/12 07:50 AM 983 21,493 934 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
24 7/11/12 07:51 AM 1,058 22,551 939 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
25 7/11/12 07:52 AM 1,042 23,593 943 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
26 7/11/12 07:53 AM 1,055 24,648 948 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
27 7/11/12 07:54 AM 1,034 25,682 951 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
28 7/11/12 07:55 AM 964 26,646 951 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
29 7/11/12 07:56 AM 1,023 27,669 954 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
30 7/11/12 07:57 AM 1,050 28,719 957 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
31 7/11/12 07:58 AM 1,084 29,803 961 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500
32 7/11/12 07:59 AM 1,015 30,818 963 38.296410 -77.505548 36,500

Some links to information about airplanes and radiation:

[Anti-proton]

OOOHH Do you mean the settings for the data?!

I didn't have GPS running, so I left that at some default value. It has to be set in that software.

The trip was from Washington DC to Atlanta GA and back.

[KitemanTV]

Yes, that's some #fun with a Geiger counter. Very interesting, too.

[Anti-proton]

Radiation does carry a risk related to exposure. The risk to exposure relation is understood pretty well at the higher end (thousands of times greater than an airplane ride) and somewhat understood at lower levels. A health physicist would be the best person to ask for an accurate answer. As best as I can say (I am not a professional, so this is opinion) is that the radiation dose from an airplane trip is barely trivial and of little if any concern.

[Anti-proton]

The flight crew sort of ignored me. lol

I am not a Health Physicist, the person who can correctly comment on radiation vs. health issues, but I do recall a study about pregnant women and radiation exposure in a plane. I don't recall the soruce nor the full details. I remember it suggesting it was ok and me thinking that was odd.

If I were a pregnant female (it would be wired, right?) I would probably avoid flights, I am also not an expert in the area (or even a novice).

Good point!

[arclight]

nice post tom

do you think young women should be clocking up alot of time in the air?? talking about air hostess`s .... i know the pressure can cause some health problems but what about ionising radiation?? were the air stewardess`s aware or interested in your gieger?

hope you didnt miss a good opportunity there?? whats the chances of "pulling" (not the demolition term) with a gieger?? or is there a mrs antiprotons? :)

thanks on behalf of us hobbiests for finding out these important issues..

[Anti-proton]

SOLAR EMISSIONS!!!

I have just confirmed that my gamma detector and Gieger counter combo has officially detected the coronal mass ejection (CME) which hit the Earth today at 1824 UTC!!! Super cool!

Being in an airplane when a very powerful CME hits might be bad.

I was not exposed, and I know it because I had a Geiger counter on me. I will post a video tomorrow with the details and the data to back up my findings. =) =) =) =) =)

!!!

[BrodyLuv]

Just incase any potential employers happen to watch this video ; )

The soothing Music is back in action I see Tom.

Thank you for your Interest and work on YT : )

[Anti-proton]

What do you mean that the plane isn't moving? I'm now sure I get it.

I was traveling about 500 MPH. If you are referring to the clouds, they are far off and do not move very fast because of this distance (geometry).

[Anti-proton]

NOTES:

PLEASE WATCH IN FULL HD (bottom right corner of vid is button)

The radiation detected is natural and from space. This is NOT Fukushima radiation. (That isn't to say nothing from sources other than space was detected, but NEARLY all of the detected radiation should be from space.

The TSA doesn't have any rules against using Geiger counters, but be careful not to scare passengers by waving it around with sound on. lol

This was from four flights I took on business this week.

=)

[Anti-proton]

I do not have exact readings. I was sitting beside nervous passangers and people act crazy when afraid. I try to not push my luck :(

I recall that the change in reading with respect to altitude was not linear. As I went up, the readings rose, but the rise increase wtih altitude. From 0 to perhaps 10, 000 feet was not as big of change as 10, 000 to even 15, 000

[StevenMageeBooks]

Great video! Do you have Geiger counter readings for 13, 800', 7, 800', and 6, 900'? I worked at those altitudes at astronomical observatories and I am curious to know what Geiger counters read at those altitudes. The observatories do not warn their staff about abnormally high levels of radiation at altitude.

[BrodyLuv]

Yes, why does the L and L not change at all Tom?

[Anti-proton]

Not one bit! The TSA seems to have seen loads of Geiger counters.

[BrodyLuv]

Yes, of cause that is what I meany Tom : )

Thank you for clearing that up Bro'.

[NumberOneCookieMuncher]

warning is, make sure you shut the radiation alarm off. I had mine, and was watching it and it got so high the warning alarm went off and my friend had a panic attack that people were going to freak out. LOL i was shocked at the amount of radiation, but my question is, is this really bad and dangerous for us? i noticed also on other flights it didn't go as high, not sure why. Some are very high some not so much.

[Anti-proton]

I cannot. I know nearly all of it comes from space (this is common and basic scientific knowledge) but it is possible there could be some small amount of terrestrial radiation. Without a gamma spectrometer it would be impossible to know.

That's why I wrote that, "but NEARLY all of the detected radiation should be from space". I get some odd comments sometimes suggesting that it is all Fuku-related. This is very much incorrect.

[Anti-proton]

(4)
I am a firm supporter of better information about Fukushima. I have published my recent lengthy paper based on primary research I performed (gamma spectroscopy) to help bring light to the actual contamination levels far from Fuku.

I run a website where I test soil samples and show all of my data. I have even found Cs137 here in the USA.

Please do not accuse me of denying or downplaying Fukushima. I want information to get out, but I am just not a fanatic about it. :(

[Redawgy]

Really? Even though we've got 3 reactors melting down and the worst nuclear accident in history radiation in our upper atmosphere has ZERO to do with Fukushima? You're very confident. Who are you trying to protect? Do you have data showing pre-Fuku and post-Fuku rad levels? Do you have spectromony from the flights? Can you be sure you were flying through a plume or not due to the jet-stream/tropopause projections?

[BrodyLuv]

It's Solar in origin, obviously : )

Google about our Atmospheres/Magnetosphere and Solar Radiation.

You will find all you need.

[Anti-proton]

Firstly, the fact that radiation increases as altitude increases is a well understood phenomena which science has known of for over 50 years. My claim is based on science known for decades before I was born and proven over and over.

NASA has spent millions in research about the subject. Those making the claim that Fukushima is to blame are the ones with the burden of proof.

I posted a link to a document with some information about it in the details.