  In the present paper, the correction due to the thermal interaction of two
charges to the recombination and ionization processes for the hydrogen atom is
considered. The evaluation is based on a rigorous quantum electrodynamic (QED)
approach within the framework of perturbation theory. The lowest-order
radiative correction to the recombination/ionization cross-section is examined
for a wide range of temperatures corresponding to laboratory and astrophysical
conditions. The found thermal contribution is discussed both for specific
states and for the total recombination and ionization coefficients.
