Exposed
Publication Date: January 22, 2026
Reporters
Oliver Boye, Xavier Brathwaite, Ana Burk, Emma Croteau, Alessandra de Zubeldia, Lex Doig, Sona Gevorgyan, George Headley, Isabelle Marceles, Jamie Montoya, Madeline Nguyen and Tori Smith
Overview
Despite decades of research documenting elevated cancer risks for flight crews and other effects, the FAA does not require radiation monitoring, annual exposure limits, route adjustments during radiation storms, or warnings to crew and travelers. The FAA used to have an online online calculator that could allow aircrew to calculate their radiation exposure themselves, but it’s been down for months — so the Howard Center built its own online calculator where anyone can estimate their cosmic radiation dose during a flight.
See project on Scripps News here: https://www.scrippsnews.com/scripps-news-investigates/exposed
Awards
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