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The average worldwide exposure of people to environmental background radiation is about 2.4 mSv (milliSievert) per year. The referenced source does not break that down by country.

Ref: "Report of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to the General Assembly", http://www.unscear.org/docs/reports/gareport.pdf

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14y ago
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11y ago

the average exposure of people living in the united states to environmental background radiation is 0.1 rem per a year

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12y ago

I'm not sure about only a day, but over a week you're exposed to one third of the amount in a small nuclear bomb.

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Q: What is the average exposure of people living in the US to environmental background radiation?
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How much radiation is an average person in the USA exposed to each year?

According to NCRP Report #93, "Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United States" (1987) the average exposure is about 295 mRem of Natural Background Radiation and about 63 mRem from Manmade Radiation (medical + consumer products) . Most (about 67%) of the natural background radiation is from inhaling Radon gas.


What is the amount of the average background radiation in millirems?

300 millirems


What is the average annual whole-body radiation exposure for a person living in the US?

Around 105.


Does most of the radiation exposure for an average citizen in the US come from nuclear power plant operation and early atmospheric nuclear weapons tests?

No, radiation from these sources is negligible. Most comes from natural background, which depends a lot on the geology of the area. Radon is usually the biggest factor (see the link below)


What is the average annual dose of radiation exposure to radiation workers?

There is no average dose as exposure varies from place to place, but anyone working with radiation should consult their Local Rules for guidance, and wear a dosimeter. The IAEA recommended that the annual dose for workers be under 20mSv. (20 milli-sieverts, where 1 sievert (J/kg) is the radiation required to impart 1 joule of energy in 1 kg of matter.) The UK and the EU have very strict guidelines for staff that work with ionising radiation. These are the dose limits that have been set up to help protect staff from unheathy amounts of radiation. Whole Body Dose Limits Per Year: Radiation Workers ages 18 yrs and older = 50 mSv. Trainees aged 18 yrs and older = 1 mSv General public (frequent exposure) = 1 mSv General public (infrequent exposure) = 5 mSv == == == == == ==


What is the current residual radiation of hiroshima and nagasaki?

Today, the background radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the same as the average amount of natural radiation present anywhere on Earth. It is not enough to affect human health. http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/kids/KPSH_E/question_box/question12.html


Is there any way to change the average amount of radiation emitted from a radioactive substance?

No, there is none at all. Shielding can be placed around it to limit exposure, but it has no effect on what the substance is emitting.


How much does an Environmental scientist earn?

The average annual income for an environmental scientist is $64,000. The average yearly salary for a senior environmental scientist is $74,000.


Do X-Ray exist?

They definitely do exist. X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation (like visible light, radio waves, microwaves, etc) with a wavelength of 10 - 0.01 nanometers, or about 100 times shorter than visible light on average. X-rays can be generated by machines used in medicine, and are also part of background radiation in the cosmos. Over exposure can be very dangerous; many governments set limits on the amount of x-rays that an individual can safety be exposed to in a given time period. Happy Science : )


Is radiation a measure of the average kineic energy of the particles in an object?

No, radiation is not a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in an object. Radiation refers to the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or particles from a source. The energy of radiation can vary depending on the type and source, and it is not directly related to the average kinetic energy of particles in an object.


What are some radioactive elements in cannabis?

A recent study shows that many commonly used fertilizers are high in radioactive elements. The study was performed by Dr Paul Hornby, who holds a master’s degree in biochemistry and a PhD in human pathology from the University of British Columbia. The study analyzed 25 different types of fertilizers, seven “organic” varieties and 18 “chemical” fertilizers. The results showed that the chemical fertilizers emitted on average five times the radiation of the organic group. There are different ways of measuring radioactivity. The chart below shows the “counts per minute” (CPM) of radiation detected in each sample. The average for the organic fertilizers was 140, while the chemical fertilizers had an average radiation count of 675, an almost five-fold increase. The lowest radiation was found in the organic blood meal fertilizers, which emitted only background radiation ? the normal low radiation found in most objects. On the other end of the spectrum was the 5-20-20 berry food, with a radiation level about 24 times higher than background.


How can radiation be measured?

Radiation can be measured in different ways using different units of measure. Those commonly used are curies roentgens rads and rems. Curie Curies are used to measure the quantity of radioactivity in a material. In radioactive elements, the rate at which atoms "disintegrate" or emit radiation is measured in "disintegrations per second" (d/s). 1 curie is equal to 37 billion disintegrations per second, the rate of decay for 1 gram of radium. The quantity of radioactivity in materials such as spent fuel rods might be defined in curies. The quantity of radioactive material in a household smoke detector is measured in millicuries (one thousandth of a curie), while very small amounts of radioactivity are measured in picocuries (one millionth of a millionth of a curie). Example: The radioactive elements generally present in the human body total an average of 250,000 picocuries, while a mug of beer averages 390 picocuries. Since curies or picocuries are only measures of radioactive decay activity - one also must consider the volume of material radioactive elements present types of radiation they emit and dose rate and length of exposure to determine biological impact, if any. Roentgen Roentgen is a unit that measures radiation exposure in the air. This measurement tells you how much radiation ― strictly "X" or gamma radiation ― one might be exposed to in a particular location or environment (not what might be absorbed). Example: Radiation levels in a containment structure might be measured in roentgens per hour. Rad Rad stands for "radiation absorbed dose" and measures the amount of energy deposited in a material ― alpha, beta, neutron, gamma or "X." Over time, the particular type of radiation absorbed (deposited) in a nuclear plant component, such as a metal pipe, might be expressed in rads. Rem Rem stands for "roentgen equivalent man" and is the standard unit used to measure dose from radiation energy absorbed in human tissue. In this case, the term "dose" includes an allowance or factor for the biological effect of the particular type of radiation absorbed. For "X" and gamma radiation, the roentgen and rem value are essentially the same and are often used interchangeably. Exposure limits for nuclear power plant workers are typically expressed in rem. Standard radiation Standard radiation measures are relatively large numbers, so fractional units often are used in actual measurements of radiation. For example, the following may be used when measuring biological effects (dose): 1 millirem = one-thousandth of 1 rem. 1 microrem = one-millionth of 1 rem. Comparison By way of comparison, radiation effects in humans generally are not detectable below a dose of 50 rem. A dose of 500 rem would cause death in a few weeks to about 50 percent of those exposed. It should be recognized, however, that this exposure must be almost immediate (acute exposure). The body can replace damaged or dead cells caused by higher dosages delivered in small amounts over long periods of time (chronic exposure). Common dose rates are millirem per hour millirem per week rem per quarter and rem per year. Average exposure The average person in the U.S. is exposed to about 360 millirem of radiation annually. Natural (or background) radiation accounts for more than three-quarters of this yearly exposure.