Flight deck magnetic fields in commercial aircraft

Background Airline pilots are exposed to magnetic fields generated by the a il craft's electrical system. The objectives of this study were (1) to dire ctly measure flight deck magnetic fields in terms of personal exposure to t he pilots when flying on different aircraft types over a 75-hour flight-dut y month, and (2) to compare magnetic field exposures across flight deck typ es and job titles. Methods Measurements were taken using personal dosimeters carried by either the Captain or the First Officer on Boeing 737/200, Boeing 747/400, Boeing 767/300ER, and Airbus 320 aircraft. Results Approximately 1,008 block hours were recorded at a sampling frequen cy of 3 seconds. Total block rime exposure to the pilots ranged from a harm onic geometric mean of 6.7 milliGauss (mc) for the Boeing 767/300ER to 12.7 mG for the Boeing 737/200. Conclusions Measured flight deck magnetic field levels were substantially a bove the 0.8-1 mG level typically found in the horne or office and suggest the need for further study to evaluate potential health effects of long-ter m exposure. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.