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SOURCES OF RADIATION EXPOSURE

   

Source

Typical Dose in mR/year

Average natural background in Canada and the U.S.A from all naturally occurring sources

70 to 150

Average exposure from a chest X-ray

2.7

Average dental X-ray

910

Average gastro-intestinal tract X-ray

22000

Fluoroscopic examination

5000 to 200000

Additional dose from living in a brick house or apartment

15

“Ionization type” smoke detector

.1

A 6000 mile jet plane trip

9

Natural radioactivity in tobacco at “one pack a day”

8000

Maximum yearly occupational dose

5000

 

The average person who lives in North America, who gets routine dental care but requires no extraordinary medical attention, who does not smoke but travels by air from time to time – would get about 1 R/year dose from all naturally occurring “normal” sources.

 

If this person were an “atomic worker” as defined by legislation, he could, but not necessarily would, get an additional 5000 mR per year.

 

But, if he were a normal (1 pack a day), cigarette smoker, he would get an additional 8000 mR/yr, which is more that the other two put together.  This is so because a tobacco plant tends to concentrate these elements from the soil in which it grows.

 

N.B.  On a typical twenty tonne frac at the time of injection the dose rate would vary from 10 mR/h to 20 mR/h at a meter away from the injector.  To receive the same dose as a “one pack a day” smoker, a person would have to stand one meter from the injector from 400 to 800 hours.