Questionnaire: Average Natural Personal Radiation Dose

AVERAGE NATURAL PERSONAL RADIATION DOSEWe live in a radioactive world - always have. Radiation is all about us as a part of our natural environment. It is measuredin terms of millirems (mrems). The annual natural average dose per person IS 180 mrems, but it IS not uncommon for any ofus to receive far more than that in a given year. This is not dangerous. As an example, exposure to 5,000 mrems a year isallowed for those who work wilh and around radioactive material.

Common Sources of Radiation *Your AnnualDose (mrems)---

Location: Cosmic radiation at sea level ....... _... ___.. ______..... ___.. 26

For your elevation (in feet) add this number of mremElevation: 1000 - 2 4000· 15 7000 - 40

2000 - 5 5000·21 8000..53WHERE 3000·9 6000·29 9000·70

YOU Elevation of some U.S. cities (in feet): Atlanta 1050;Chicago 595; DallasLIVE 435; Denver 5280; Las Vegas 2000: Minneapolis 815; Pittsburgh 1200;

51. Louis 455; Salt Lake City 4400;Spokane 1890.(Coastal cities are assumed to be zero, or sea leveL)

Ground: U.S. average .. __..... _...... _.. _.. _.. _. __. _.... - - - . - .•.. 26. •House Construction: For stone, concrete or masonry building, add 7 -

WHAT YOU FoodEAT, DRINK, Water U.S.Average 24

AND Air

BREATHE Weapons test fallout. ........ ___. ___... ______. _____•__...•. ___•_•• ____ 4

X-ray and pharmaceutical diagnosis ....... ________.. __. ______•• _•. {J4l

HOW Number of chest x-rays x10x 30()(-[),Jsf?YOU Number of radiopharmaceutical examinations

LIVE (Average dose to total U.S. population - 92mrem)

Jet plane travel: For each 2500miles add 1mrem ........ _.... _. __... I

TV viewing: For e?ch hour per day X .15 ........ _...... _.___... "-"

HOW CLOSE At site boundary: average number of hours per day x 0.2..... __.YOU LIVE TO lOne mile away: average number of hours per day x 0.02 .... _.

A NUCLEAR Five miles away: average number of hours per day ;:;if x 0.002 ...... torsPLANT Over 5 miles away: ................ _............. _.... _... None ... _.. _. 0

My total annual mrems dose 1-- -- -- -

Com1- Jre your annual dose If) Ihe U.S. annual average of 180 ",rems.

One rnrom per year is equal to: Increasing your diet by 4%,Taking as-day neallon in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

----------------------------------- --_._-------------------------------'See "Nuclear Energy Facts. Questions and An~;wers." American Nuclear Society, 1980.