The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) publishes a personal annual radiation dose calculator, which can be used to estimate an individual’s average annual radiation dose based on risk factors. If you have not used this calculator before, it may be interesting to see what your projected annual dose is from natural and man-made sources of ionizing radiation. When people hear about the possibility of radioactive materials being brought on-site, some can become a bit nervous, not realizing that their occupational dose will likely be much less than their dose from natural sources of radiation.
The main natural sources of radiation are cosmic radiation, terrestrial radiation, and internal radiation. The total U.S. average natural background dose is estimated to be 310 mRem/year, which exceeds most exposures in research and development laboratories. In addition to natural sources, man-made sources of radiation include medical, commercial, and industrial sources. According to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Report No. 160 (2006), the increased use of medical imaging procedures has significantly increased the average exposure to man-made radiation sources of ionizing radiation. As a result of this report, The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) estimates the average U.S. dose from man-made sources to be 310 mRem/year.
Check out the personal annual radiation dose calculator, and see what your projected dose is just from day to day life!