Common Radiation Doses
Okay, we’re ready now to see some regularly encountered radiation doses. The numbers given below are the radiation dose we expect most people would receive from that source.
| Effective Dose | Radiation Source |
|---|---|
| Less than (<) or equal to (=) 0.1 mSv |
annual dose living at nuclear power plant perimeter bitewing, panoramic, or full-mouth dental x rays skull x ray chest x ray |
| <=1 mSv |
single spine x ray abdominal x ray pelvic x ray hip x ray mammogram |
| <=5 mSv |
kidney series of x rays most barium-related x rays head CT + any spine x-ray series annual natural background radiation dose most nuclear medicine brain, liver, kidney, bone, or lung scans |
| <=10 mSv |
barium enema (x rays of the large intestine) chest, abdomen, or pelvic CT + |
| <=50 mSv |
cardiac catheterization (heart x rays) coronary angiogram (heart x rays) other heart x-ray studies most nuclear medicine heart scans |
|
+CT = computerized tomography; a specialized x-ray exam. |
|