eli5 why does riding in an airplane cause radiation exposure? Does the airplane itself not block it?

Question

eli5 why does riding in an airplane cause radiation exposure? Does the airplane itself not block it?

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Answer 1

Mass blocks radiation, and planes are intentionally built to be as light as possible. If you’re using thin aluminum, it won’t block anywhere near as much radiation as something like lead would. The lead is heavier because it’s more dense, because it has more mass.

Air has a surprisingly large amount of mass when you consider how tall the sky is. So it does a pretty good job of blocking radiation before it hits the ground. The thin aluminum sheet from the plane won’t make up for all of the air that you’re “above” when flying.