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In recent decades, the exposure of aviation crews and passengers to cosmic radiation has been progressively increasing due to the growing need of flights. Therefore, there is a need for radiation assessment software tools to act as a complement to other radiation protection techniques and countermeasures. In this work, the exposure to cosmic radiation is estimated for flights from Athens International Airport to various international destinations, by performing Monte Carlo simulations with the validated tool DYASTIMA/DYASTIMA-R. The results of the estimated total ambient dose equivalent, as well as the ambient dose equivalent rate for different flights, applying a typical flying level and constant atmospheric conditions, are presented for the first time. This study is carried out for different phases of solar activity for the time period from 1996 to 2019, which includes the two recent Solar Cycles 23 and 24. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiological protection has the purpose of safeguarding the physical well-being of the user, preventing exposure to detrimental levels of ionizing radiation. This study introduces a novel, cost-effective category of lead-free elastomeric material designed for radiation shielding. The filler compounds utilized are notably lighter than conventional lead-based materials, enhancing user ergonomics during application. They comprise of a blend of barium sulfate combined or not with magnesium oxide with addition-cure liquid silicone rubber. To ensure the effectiveness of the radiation shielding, X-ray transmission measurements were performed for the different thicknesses of the materials and the results compared with Monte Carlo simulations. Additionally, the physical properties of the new materials, such as density, homogeneity, tensile strength, viscosity, and wettability, were also evaluated. The findings indicate that both materials fulfill the requirement for application in radiation protection garments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a huge increase in air travel, both for business and leisure. For this reason, entities such as the European Commission and the International Committee on Radiological Protection have provided several recommendations for the radiation protection of aviation crews and frequent flyers, as well as highlighted the need for accurate tools for radiation assessment in the atmosphere. With a focus on the most frequent commercial flying altitudes, this work has performed dosimetry calculations in the lower atmosphere of Earth for different values of cut-off rigidity, covering the recent solar cycles 23 and 24. Results are based on Monte Carlo simulations performed with the validated Geant4 software application Dynamic Atmospheric Shower Tracking Interactive Model Application (DYASTIMA) and its extension, DYASTIMA-R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]