![]() To find your personal annual radiation dose, use the interactive Personal Annual Radiation Dose Calculator or this printer friendly worksheet. As explained above, the annual average dose per person from all sources is about 620 mrem. We live in a radioactive world, and radiation has always been all around us as a part of our natural environment. Personal Annual Radiation Dose Calculator For instance, Thomas Edison’s assistant died from a radiationinducedtumor as a result of too much xray exposure. Infact, early pioneers in radiation research diedfrom radiationinduced illnesses from too much exposure. (Amounts are shown in picocuries per kilogram.) medicine it could also be a potential threat to human health if not handled properly. As a result, the average person receives an average internal dose of about 30 millirem of these materials per year from the food and water that we eat and drink, as illustrated by the following table. In addition, all water on Earth contains small amounts of dissolved uranium and thorium. Radioactivity in Food All organic matter (both plant and animal) contains some small amount of radiation from radioactive potassium-40 ( 40K), radium-226 ( 226Ra), and other isotopes. In fact, among these procedures, the NRC and its Agreement States only license and regulate the possession and use of radioactive materials for nuclear medicine. Instead, most of these procedures are regulated by State health agencies. However, they do not involve radioactive material and, hence, are not regulated by the U.S. For example, a chest x-ray typically gives a dose of about 0.01 rem (10 millirem) and a full-body CT gives a dose of 1 rem (1,000 mrem), as shown in the table to the left.Īmong these medical procedures, x-rays, mammography, and CT use radiation or perform functions similar to those of radioisotopes. Medical procedures account for nearly all (96%) human exposure to man-made radiation. Personal Annual Radiation Dose Calculatorĭoses from Medical Procedures Medical Procedure Doses.In general, a yearly dose of 620 millirem from all radiation sources has not been shown to cause humans any harm. (The chart to the right shows these radiation doses in perspective.) The other half (0.31 rem or 310 mrem) comes from man-made sources of radiation, including medical, commercial, and industrial sources. Most of this background exposure comes from radon in the air, with smaller amounts from cosmic rays and the Earth itself. Half of this dose comes from natural background radiation. They can be harmful to living organisms in high doses, as they can cause cell damage and increase the risk of cancer.On average, Americans receive a radiation dose of about 0.62 rem (620 millirem) each year. Gamma rays are used in medical imaging, radiation therapy for cancer, and other applications where ionizing radiation is needed. They have the shortest wavelength and highest energy of any form of electromagnetic radiation. ![]() Gamma rays are a type of high-energy electromagnetic radiation that is produced by the decay of radioactive isotopes and by other nuclear processes. These isotopes emit ionizing radiation, which can have harmful effects on living organisms. Some examples of common x-ray procedures and approximate exposures are: Single chest x-ray: 0.02 mSv (2 mrem) Dental x-ray (four bitewings): 0.004 mSv (0.4 mrem) Limbs and joints: 0. Natural radioactive gas refers to gases that are naturally radioactive, such as radon, as well as other radioactive isotopes that can be found in the atmosphere, such as carbon-14 and potassium-40. The exact amount of radiation exposure in an x-ray procedure varies depending on the part of the body receiving the x-ray. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and can accumulate in homes and other buildings, where it can be inhaled and potentially cause lung cancer. Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is formed by the decay of uranium and thorium in soil, rocks, and water. X-rays are used in a variety of medical and industrial applications, including imaging bones and teeth, detecting hidden flaws in materials, and sterilizing medical equipment. They are produced when high-speed electrons collide with a metal target, resulting in the emission of photons with a characteristic energy. X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of ultraviolet light, but longer than gamma rays.
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