Link: New Scientist Breaking News - Sunspot cluster ejects huge radiation storm.
Two major US airlines rerouted planes away from the polar areas to avoid additional radiation, said Bill Murtagh, a space weather forecaster for NOAA. Instruments on two of NOAA's satellites, SOHO and the Advanced Composition Explorer, were blinded by radiation contamination for several hours, and there are unconfirmed reports of problems on other satellites.
The eruptions also required evasive action aboard the International Space Station. The two-man crew, Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov, ducked for cover inside the bulkier Russian side of the station when their orbit took them through the worst of the storm. High doses of radiation can cause health problems: astronauts are more prone to cataracts later in life, for example.