Just the other day I was wondering how much more radiation we get exposed to in an airplane, and the NY Times kindly obliged by publishing an article about it. Experts disagree (no surprise) on whether it is a big problem, but they do agree (wow) that “a pregnant woman could be exposed to enough radiation on a single flight to exceed government health guidelines.” The melanoma rate is higher among pilots, but some say that might be from other lifestyle factors. Radiation over the poles can be twice as high as over the equator, so those handy hops over the North Pole may not be a good idea. Only the Concorde carries radiation monitors and it doesn’t fly at high altitudes (or at all currently!).