Radiation ExposureWe are all exposed to radiation daily from natural sources from the earth. We receive more than twice the amount of radiation as a passenger on an airplane than we do from medical x-rays because of cosmic ray exposure at higher altitudes.Radiation exposure that occurs from nature is natural back ground radiation and it comes from four sources: 2.Radioactive materials in the earth’s crust from uranium, thorium and potassium. 3.Small amounts of radiation found in our bodies. 4.Radon, which is a naturally occurring gas produced by the earth’s crust.
The average person living in the United States receives twice the amount of radiation from these natural background sources than they do from medical x-rays. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Radiation is measured in units called Rems. Radiation exposure to health care workers is so small it’s measured in fractions of Rems. For example: 1/1000th of a Rem is expressed as a millirem. (mRem) Medical radiation workers are required to wear a monitoring device that measures the amount of radiation they’re exposed to. When an exposure report for a medical radiation worker is printed out, it is expressed in mRem. The average hospital worker who works in Radiology is exposed to 150 mRems (or 0.15 Rems) (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Natural occurring radiation is not new and it's not something to worry about. The average citizen living in the United States receives about 360 mRems per year from natural background radiation. |