An understanding of the cosmic ray modulation of life processes is critical to space exploration, evolution and current medical science. Previous evidence has implicated a role for cosmic rays in US female cancer, involving a possible cross-generational foetal effect. This study explores the global nature of that effect by examining cancer time variations for population cohorts in five countries on three continents. Age–period–cohort analysis was used to separate cohort-related effects from period-related effects, generating time signatures for comparisons among both male and female populations in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Australia (AU), Canada (CA) and New Zealand (NZ). The available cancer mortality data spanned most of the 20th century for US, UK and AU, with shorter periods for CA and NZ. The longest cohort series spanned 1825 to 1965 and exhibited two peaks of higher mortality likelihood approximately 75 years apart in all countries and in both sexes. The constancy of this oscillation on three continents and both hemispheres suggests the presence of a global environmental effect. To explore a possible source for this effect, the birth cohort oscillation is shown to correlate with the variations in background cosmic radiation one generation prior to the birth cohorts. This confirms an earlier study correlating human breast cancer mortality and galactic cosmic rays. A corroborating correlation is also noted between the latitude dependences of cancer incidence in 42 countries and the intensity of background cosmic rays. The role of germ cells as a possible target of this radiation is discussed, emphasizing the amplification that must occur to make this weak radiation relevant to human health. Germ cell timing for this effect has profound implications for evolution, long-distance space travel and the colonization of planets with high background radiation.

Cette étude de poste repose, dans un premier temps, sur l’analyse d’une expérimentation consacrée aux mesures des débits d’équivalent de dose ambiante à bord des aéronefs de type E-3F. Ces résultats partiels sont complétés dans un second temps par une campagne de mesures de l’exposition individuelle à l’aide de dosimètres passifs et opérationnels gamma et neutrons. Les équipages de l’Armée de l’air navigant à bord des E-3F sont susceptibles de recevoir annuellement, à partir du niveau 300 et de 200 heures de vol, une dose efficace supérieure à 1 mSv. Il est donc impératif d’organiser une surveillance radiologique et médicale spécifique des équipages correspondant à ces critères de vol.

This contribution presents new results related to the aircraft crew exposure onboard aircraft of Czech air companies. First, the results of long term monitoring onboard of an aircraft of Czech Airlines are presented. In the period May–December 2005, 494 individual flights have been followed using MDU-Liulin Si-diode based spectrometer, together with thermoluminescent and track detectors. The results of measurements are analyzed and compared with those of calculation performed with CARI6 and EPCARD3.2 codes. Monitoring period represented about 4.6 times more than usual annual engagement of an aircrew (600 hours). Total effective dose during these 2 755 hours was between 11 and 12 mSv, following the considered method of evaluation. Both the measuring and calculation methods correlate well. This fact leads to confirmation of the routine method evaluating the level of aircraft crew exposure using CARI6 code as correct for this purpose. Second, the results of individual monitoring of aircrew members obtained during few last years by this routine method are presented; general tendencies of aircraft crew onboard exposure of Czech air companies are outlined. The contribution of aircrew exposure to total occupational exposure in the Czech Republic represents about 20%.