Radiation

What is Radiation?

Radiation is energy in the form of waves and particles. It is a natural phenomenon that has existed since the beginning of time and exists everywhere.

Exposure to radiation is measured in millirems. The average person receives approximately 360 millirem per year from all sources of natural and man-made radiation. We are exposed to naturally occurring background radiation every day of our lives from the earth, cosmic rays, radon gas, naturally radioactive foods such as bananas, buildings made of naturally radioactive materials such as granite, and even each other. The greatest single source of background exposure (an average of 200 millirem per year) comes from radon gas (radon gas comes from uranium in the earths crust). We are also exposed to man-made radiation from dental x-rays, medical procedures, and televisions. Certain activities increase our exposure to radiation such as smoking (cigarette smoke contains radioactive particles) or airline travel (radiation exposure is higher at higher elevations).

For more information on radiation, please refer to www.epa.com or the short film on dose calculations on the video page.

Naturally Occurring Background Radiation in Connecticut Varies by More Than 50 Millirems/yr

BACKGROUND
RADIATION EXPOSURE
(for 24 hrs/day, 365 days)(in millirems/year)
 

110

95

95

87

84

80

79

79

78

77

70

70

69

68

67

65

63

60

53

43