Radiation Dose

• The average person in the U.S. receives an effective dose of about 3 mSv per year    from
   naturally occurring radioactive materials and cosmic radiation from outer space.
• These natural "background" doses vary throughout the country.
       – Colorado or New Mexico residents receive about 1.5 mSv more per
           year than those living near sea level.
       – The added dose from cosmic rays during a coast-to-coast round trip
          flight in a commercial airplane is about 0.03 mSv.
       – The largest source of background radiation comes from
           radon gas in our homes (about 2 mSv per year).

One chest x-ray = 10 days from our natural surroundings

For this procedure:

Your effective radiation dose is:

Comparable natural background radiation:

Abdominal region:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Abdomen

10 mSv

3 years

Computed Tomography (CT)-Body

10 mSv

3 years

Computed Tomography (CT)-Colonography

5 mSv

20 months

Radiography-Lower GI Tract

4 mSv

16 months

Radiography-Upper GI Tract

2 mSv

8 months

Central Nervous system:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Head

2 mSv

8 months

Computed Tomography (CT)-Spine

10 mSv

3 years

Myelography

4 mSv

16 months

Chest:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Chest

8 mSv

3 years

Radiography-Chest

0.1 mSv

10 days

Face and neck:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Sinuses

0.6 mSv

2 months

Women's Imaging:

Bone Densitometry (DEXA)

0.01 mSv

1 day

Galactography

0.7 mSv

3 months

Hysterosalpingography

1 mSv

4 months

Mammography

0.7 mSv

3 months