NCRP Sources of Radiation Exposure - 2009 Sources of Radiation Exposure Industrial < 0.1% Occupational <0.1% , Consumer 2% Computed Tomography 24% Nuclear Medicine 12% Interventional Fluoroscopy 7% Conventional Radiography/Fluoroscopy 5% Terrestrial 3% Internal 5% Space 5% Radon &Thoron 37% Average Annual Radiation Dose Sources Radon & Thoron Computed Tomography Nuclear Medicine Interventional Fluoroscopy Space Conventional Radiography/ Fluoroscopy Internal Terrestrial Consumer Occupational Industrial Units mrem (United States) mSv (International) 228 mrem 2.28 mSv 147 mrem 1.47 mSv 77 mrem 0.77 mSv 43 mrem 0.43 mSv 33 mrem 0.33 mSv 33 mrem 0.33mSv 29 mrem 0.29 mSv 21 mrem 0.21 mSv 13 mrem 0.13 mSv 0.5 mrem 0.005 mSv 0.3 mrem 0.003 mSv (Source: National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements, Report No. 160) Description of Medical Terms: • Computed tomography (CT): A medical imaging procedure that uses x-rays to show cross-sectional images of the body. Also called computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning. • Interventional fluoroscopy: The use of ionizing radiation to guide small instruments such as catheters through blood vessels or other pathways in the body. • Conventional radiography and fluoroscopy: Radiography is the use of x-ray machines by doctors and dentists to view the human body. Fluoroscopy is a medical technique used by doctors to take real-time moving images of internal structures in the body by placing a patient between a fluorescent screen and an x-ray source. • Nuclear medicine: Radioactive elements or tracers that are given intravenously or orally. A gamma camera detects gamma rays emitted by the tracer. These data are fed into a computer where they are used to produce images and other information about the body's organ system. ------- |