What is a Dose of Radiation?

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A “dose” is the amount of radiation energy deposited into the body. The more energy deposited into the body, the higher the dose.

  • Sievert (or rem) is a unit of measure for radiation dose (1 Sievert = 1 rem)
  • A chest X-ray is 0.08 miliSievert
  • Coast to coast airplane roundtrip is 0.05 miliSievert
  • CT scan (head and body) is 1.11 miliSieverts
  • The radiation dose limit of a nuclear energy worker is 20 miliSieverts per year
  • The radiation dose limit of a person who is not a nuclear energy worker is 1 miliSievert per year.
  • Average dose to everyone from background radiation is 3 miliSieverts per year

Health Effects

  • Stochastic Effects (Long-term chronic exposure to radiation)
    • Concern of incorrectly repaired cells. It can disrupt the growth of cells at a molecular level and increasing the risk of cancer.
    • Body can repair some cell damaged from chronic radiation exposures.
  • Non-Stochastic Effects (Short-term acute exposure to high radiation field, 1 sievert or higher)
    • Inhibits tissue functions: it can be temporary or permanent
    • Un-repairable damaged cell

Radiosensitivity

  • Bone marrow, reproductive organs, and lymphoid tissue are the most radiosensitive
  • Muscle, nerve, brain, and bone cells are the least radiosensitive

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