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Orders of magnitude (radiation)

{{Short description|Comparison of a wide range of radiation dosages}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{update|article|date=July 2011}}

{{More citations needed|date=January 2020}}

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Radiation Dosages

Recognized effects of higher acute radiation doses are described in more detail in the article on radiation poisoning. Although the International System of Units (SI) defines the sievert (Sv) as the unit of radiation dose equivalent, chronic radiation levels and standards are still often given in units of millirems (mrem), where 1 mrem equals 1/1,000 of a rem and 1 rem equals 0.01 Sv. Light radiation sickness begins at about 50–100 rad (0.5–1 gray (Gy), 0.5–1 Sv, 50–100 rem, 50,000–100,000 mrem).

The following table includes some dosages for comparison purposes, using millisieverts (mSv) (one thousandth of a sievert). The concept of radiation hormesis is relevant to this table – radiation hormesis is a hypothesis stating that the effects of a given acute dose may differ from the effects of an equal fractionated dose. Thus 100 mSv is considered twice in the table below – once as received over a 5-year period, and once as an acute dose, received over a short period of time, with differing predicted effects. The table describes doses and their official limits, rather than effects.

= Absorbed Dosages (D) =

== Total Absorbed Dosages ==

class="wikitable"

|+Total Absorbed Dosage Levels (D)

!Dosage Level

!Description

250 mGy

|Lowest dose to cause clinically observable blood changes

260 mGy

|Peak natural background dose after one year in Ramsar, Iran{{cite journal |author=Dissanayake C |date=May 2005 |title=Of Stones and Health: Medical Geology in Sri Lanka |journal=Science |volume=309 |issue=5736 |pages=883–5 |doi=10.1126/science.1115174 |pmid=16081722 |quote=high as 260 mGy/year}}

2 Gy

|Local dose for onset of erythema in humans

48.5 Gy (4.85 krad)

|Roughly calculated from the estimated 4,500 + 350 rad dose for fatality of Russian experimenter on June 17, 1997, at Sarov.

100 Gy (10 krad)

|Estimated fatality at the United Nuclear Fuels Recovery Plant on July 24, 1964.

2 kGy

|One second of the estimated dose applied to the inner wall in ITER

10 kGy (1 Mrad)

|Typical tolerance of radiation-hardened microchips

10 MGy (1 Grad)

|The maximum radiation dosage of the most hardened electronics.{{cite web |title=RD53 investigation of CMOS radiation hardness up to 1Grad |url=https://indico.cern.ch/event/302139/session/13/contribution/176/material/slides/0.pdf |access-date=April 3, 2015}}

= Effective Dosages (E) =

class="wikitable sortable"

! Level (mSv)

!Level in standard form (mSv)!! Duration !! Hourly equivalent (μSv/hour) !! Description

{{ntsh|0.001}} 0.001

|{{Scinote|0.001}}

Hourly{{ntsh|1}} 1Cosmic ray dose rate on commercial flights varies from 1 to 10 μSv/hour, depending on altitude, position and solar sunspot phase.{{cite book |chapter=Annex B: Exposures from natural radiation sources |chapter-url=http://www.unscear.org/docs/reports/annexb.pdf |title=UNSCEAR 2000 Report: Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation |volume=1 Sources |page=88, Figure 3 |url=http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/publications/2000_1.html }}
{{ntsh|0.01}} 0.01

|{{Scinote|0.01}}

Daily{{ntsh|0.4}} 0.4Natural background radiation, including radonOak Ridge National Laboratory (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/env_rpt/aser95/tb-a-2.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122201833/http://www.ornl.gov/sci/env_rpt/aser95/tb-a-2.pdf |date=2010-11-22 }})
{{ntsh|0.06}} 0.06

|{{Scinote|0.06}}

Acute-Chest X-ray (AP+Lat)Health Physics Society (http://www.hps.org/documents/meddiagimaging.pdf)
{{ntsh|0.07}} 0.07

|{{Scinote|0.07}}

Acute-Transatlantic airplane flight.[http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/UnderstandingRadiation/UnderstandingRadiationTopics/DoseComparisonsForIonisingRadiation/]
{{ntsh|0.09}} 0.09

|{{Scinote|0.09}}

Acute-Dental X-ray (Panoramic)
{{ntsh|0.1 }} 0.1

|{{Scinote|0.1}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.011}} 0.011Average USA dose from consumer productsOak Ridge National Laboratory (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/env_rpt/aser95/appa.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040623102755/http://www.ornl.gov/sci/env_rpt/aser95/appa.htm |date=2004-06-23 }})
{{ntsh|0.15}} 0.15

|{{Scinote|0.15}}

| Annual

{{ntsh|0.017}} 0.017USA EPA cleanup standard {{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|0.25}} 0.25

|{{Scinote|0.25}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.028}} 0.028USA NRC cleanup standard for individual sites/sources {{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|0.27}} 0.27

|{{Scinote|0.27}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.031}} 0.031Yearly dose from natural cosmic radiation at sea level (0.5 in Denver due to altitude)
{{ntsh|0.28}} 0.28

|{{Scinote|0.28}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.032}} 0.032USA yearly dose from natural terrestrial radiation (0.16-0.63 depending on soil composition)
{{ntsh|0.46}} 0.46

|{{Scinote|0.46}}

Acute-Estimated largest off-site dose possible from March 28, 1979 Three Mile Island accident{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|0.48}} 0.48

|{{Scinote|0.48}}

Day{{ntsh|20}} 20USA NRC public area exposure limit{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|0.66}} 0.66

|{{Scinote|0.66}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.075}} 0.075Average USA dose from human-made sources
{{ntsh|0.7}} 0.7

|{{Scinote|0.7}}

Acute-Mammogram
{{ntsh|1}} 1

|{{Scinote|1}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.11}} 0.11Limit of dose from man-made sources to a member of the public who is not a radiation worker in the US and Canada[http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/sor-2000-203/FullText.html Radiation Protection Regulations, Canada]
{{ntsh|1.1}} 1.1

|{{Scinote|1.1}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.13}} 0.13Average USA radiation worker occupational dose in 1980
{{ntsh|1.2}} 1.2

|{{Scinote|1.2}}

Acute-Abdominal X-ray
{{ntsh|2}} 2

|{{Scinote|2}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.23}} 0.23USA average medical and natural background [https://web.archive.org/web/20101122201833/http://www.ornl.gov/sci/env_rpt/aser95/tb-a-2.pdf]
Human internal radiation due to radon, varies with radon levels
{{ntsh|2}} 2

|{{Scinote|2}}

Acute-Head CT
{{ntsh|3}} 3

|{{Scinote|3}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.34}} 0.34USA average dose from all natural sources
{{ntsh|3.66}} 3.66

|{{Scinote|3.66}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.42}} 0.42USA average from all sources, including medical diagnostic radiation doses{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|4}} 4

|{{Scinote|4}}

Duration of the pregnancy{{ntsh|0.6}} 0.6Canada CNSC maximum occupational dose to a pregnant woman who is a designated Nuclear Energy Worker.
{{ntsh|5}} 5

|{{Scinote|5}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.57}} 0.57USA NRC occupational limit for minors (10% of adult limit)
USA NRC limit for visitors{{cite book |chapter=Annex B: Exposures from natural radiation sources |chapter-url=http://www.unscear.org/docs/reports/annexb.pdf |title=UNSCEAR 2000 Report: Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation |volume=1 Sources |url=http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/publications/2000_1.html |quote=Orvieto town, Italy}}
{{ntsh|5}} 5

|{{Scinote|5}}

Pregnancy{{ntsh|0.77}} 0.77USA NRC occupational limit for pregnant women{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|6.4}} 6.4

|{{Scinote|6.4}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.73}} 0.73High Background Radiation Area (HBRA) of Yangjiang, China{{cite journal |vauthors=Tao Z, Cha Y, Sun Q |title=[Cancer mortality in high background radiation area of Yangjiang, China, 1979–1995] |language=zh |journal=Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi |volume=79 |issue=7 |pages=487–92 |date=July 1999 |pmid=11715418 }}
{{ntsh|7.6}} 7.6

|{{Scinote|7.6}}

Annual{{ntsh|0.87}} 0.87Fountainhead Rock Place, Santa Fe, NM natural{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}
{{ntsh|8}} 8

|{{Scinote|8}}

Acute-Chest CT
{{ntsh|10}} 10

|{{Scinote|10}}

Acute-Lower dose level for public calculated from the 1 to 5 rem range for which USA EPA guidelines mandate emergency action when resulting from a nuclear accident
Abdominal CT
{{ntsh|14}} 14

|{{Scinote|14}}

|Acute

|-

|18F FDG PET scan,{{Cite web|title = Radiation Exposure from Medical Exams and Procedures|url = http://hps.org/documents/Medical_Exposures_Fact_Sheet.pdf|website = Health Physics Society|access-date = 2015-04-19}} Whole Body

{{ntsh|50}} 50

|{{Scinote|50}}

Annual{{ntsh|5.7}} 5.7USA NRC/ Canada CNSC occupational limit for designated Nuclear Energy Workers([https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/ 10 CFR 20])
{{ntsh|100}} 100

|{{Scinote|100}}

5 years{{ntsh|2.3}} 2.3Canada CNSC occupational limit over a 5-year dosimetry period for designated Nuclear Energy Workers
{{ntsh|100}} 100

|{{Scinote|100}}

Acute-USA EPA acute dose level estimated to increase cancer risk 0.8%
{{ntsh|120}} 120

|{{Scinote|120}}

30 years{{ntsh|0.46}} 0.46Exposure, long duration, Ural Mountains, lower limit, lower cancer mortality rate{{Cite web |url=http://cnts.wpi.edu/RSH/Docs/Pollycove2000_Symp_on_Med_Ben.htm |title=Pollycove 2000 Symposium on Medical Benenfits of LDR |access-date=2010-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040818205721/http://cnts.wpi.edu/rsh/Docs/Pollycove2000_Symp_on_Med_Ben.htm |archive-date=2004-08-18 }}
{{ntsh|150}} 150

|{{Scinote|150}}

Annual{{ntsh|17}} 17USA NRC occupational eye lens exposure limit {{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}{{Clarify|date=March 2011|reason=How is this measured and please explain this term.}}
{{ntsh|170}} 170

|{{Scinote|170}}

Acute| Average dose for 187,000 Chernobyl recovery operation workers in 1986{{Cite book|url=http://www.unscear.org/docs/reports/2000/Volume%20II_Effects/AnnexJ_pages%20451-566.pdf|title=UNSCEAR 2000 Report, Annex J, Exposures and effects of the Chernobyl Accident|publisher=United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation|year=2000|page=526}}
{{ntsh|175}} 175

|{{Scinote|175}}

Annual{{ntsh|20}} 20Guarapari, Brazil natural radiation sources{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}
{{ntsh|250}} 250

|{{Scinote|250}}

2 hours{{ntsh|125000}} 125,000(125 mSv/hour) Whole body dose exclusion zone criteria for US nuclear reactor siting10 CFR Part 100.11 Section 1 (converted from 25 rem)
{{ntsh|250}} 250

|{{Scinote|250}}

Acute-USA EPA voluntary maximum dose for emergency non-life-saving work
{{ntsh|400}} 400-900

|4–{{Scinote|900}}

Annual{{ntsh|46}} 46-103Unshielded in interplanetary space.{{cite web|title=The Cosmic Ray Radiation Dose in Interplanetary Space – Present Day and Worst-Case Evaluations |date=2005-08-03 |access-date=2008-03-08 |author=R.A. Mewaldt |url=http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/ASC/DATA/bibliography/ICRC2005/usa-mewaldt-RA-abs1-sh35-oral.pdf |page=103 |location=29th International Cosmic Ray Conference Pune (2005) 00, 101-104|display-authors=etal}}
{{ntsh|500}} 500

|{{Scinote|500}}

Annual{{ntsh|57}} 57USA NRC occupational whole skin, limb skin, or single organ exposure limit
{{ntsh|500}} 500

|{{Scinote|500}}

Acute-Canada CNSC occupational limit for designated Nuclear Energy Workers carrying out urgent and necessary work during an emergency.
Low-level radiation sickness due to short-term exposureCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (https://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/ars.asp)
{{ntsh|750}} 750

|{{Scinote|750}}

Acute-USA EPA voluntary maximum dose for emergency life-saving work
{{ntsh|1000}} 1,000

|{{Scinote|1000}}

Hourly{{ntsh|1000000}} 1,000,000Level reported during Fukushima I nuclear accidents, in immediate vicinity of reactor{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,750773,00.html|title=Japan's Chernobyl|date=2011-03-14|publisher=Spiegel|access-date=16 March 2011}}
{{ntsh|3000}} 3,000

|{{Scinote|3000}}

Acute-Thyroid dose (due to iodine absorption) exclusion zone criteria for US nuclear reactor siting (converted from 300 rem)
{{ntsh|4800}} 4,800

|{{Scinote|4800}}

Acute-{{LD50}} (actually LD50/60) in humans from radiation poisoning with medical treatment estimated from 480 to 540 rem.[http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/osradtraining/biologicaleffects/page.htm Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation]
{{ntsh|5000}} 5,000

|{{Scinote|5000}}

Acute-Calculated from the estimated 510 rem dose fatally received by Harry Daghlian on August 21, 1945, at Los Alamos and lower estimate for fatality of Russian specialist on April 5, 1968, at Chelyabinsk-70.{{cite web|url=http://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/accidents/la-13638.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615151005if_/http://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/accidents/la-13638.pdf |archive-date=2021-06-15 |title=A Review of Criticality Accidents|date=May 2000|publisher=Los Alamos National Laboratory|pages=16, 33, 74, 75, 87, 88, 89|access-date=16 March 2011}}
{{ntsh|5000}} 5,000

|{{Scinote|5000}}

{{nowrap|5,000 - 10,000 mSv}}. Most commercial electronics can survive this radiation level.[https://spectrum.ieee.org/radiationhardening-101 ieee.org - Radiation Hardening 101: How To Protect Nuclear Reactor Electronics]
{{ntsh|16000}} 16,000

|{{Scinote|16000}}

AcuteHighest estimated dose to Chernobyl emergency worker diagnosed with acute radiation syndrome{{Cite web|url=https://www.oecd-nea.org/rp/chernobyl/c04.html|title=Chernobyl: Assessment of Radiological and Health Impact. Chapter IV Dose estimates|date=2002|publisher=OECD Nuclear Energy Agency}}
{{ntsh|20000}} 20,000

|{{Scinote|20000}}

Acute{{ntsh|2114536}} {{nowrap|2,114,536}}Interplanetary exposure to solar particle event (SPE) of October 1989.{{cite web|title=Mars Surface Radiation Exposure for Solar Maximum Conditions and 1989 Solar Proton Events |author1=Lisa C. Simonsen |author2=John E. Nealy |name-list-style=amp |date=February 1993 |access-date=2016-04-09 |publication-date=2005-06-10 |page=9 |url=https://www.solarstorms.org/NASATech3300.pdf}}{{cite journal|title=Successive Solar Energetic Particle Events in the October 1989 |journal=International Cosmic Ray Conference |volume=4 |date=1995-08-28 |publication-date=2016-02-17 |page=140 |bibcode=1995ICRC....4..139T |last1=Torsti |first1=J. |last2=Anttila |first2=A. |last3=Vainio |first3=R. l Kocharov }}
{{ntsh|21000}} {{nowrap|21,000}}

|{{Scinote|21000}}

Acute-Calculated from the estimated 2,100 rem dose fatally received by Louis Slotin on May 21, 1946, at Los Alamos and lower estimate for fatality of Russian specialist on April 5, 1968 Chelyabinsk-70.
{{ntsh|48500}} {{nowrap|48,500}}

|{{Scinote|48500}}

Acute-Roughly calculated from the estimated 4,500 + 350 rad dose for fatality of Russian experimenter on June 17, 1997, at Sarov.
{{ntsh|60000}} {{nowrap|60,000}}

|{{Scinote|60000}}

Acute-Roughly calculated from the estimated 6,000 rem doses for several Russian fatalities from 1958 onwards, such as on May 26, 1971, at the Kurchatov Institute. Lower estimate for fatality of Cecil Kelley at Los Alamos on December 30, 1958.
{{ntsh|100000}} {{nowrap|100,000}}

|{{Scinote|100000}}

Acute-Roughly calculated from the estimated 10,000 rad dose for fatality at the United Nuclear Fuels Recovery Plant on July 24, 1964.
{{ntsh|100000}}30,000,000

|{{Scinote|30000000}}

|

|3,600,000

|Radiation tolerated by Thermococcus gammatolerans, a microbe extremely resistant to radiation.{{Cite journal |last1=Jolivet |first1=Edmond |last2=L'Haridon |first2=Stéphane |last3=Corre |first3=Erwan |last4=Forterre |first4=Patrick |last5=Prieur |first5=DanielYR 2003 |title=Thermococcus gammatolerans sp. nov., a hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent that resists ionizing radiation |url=https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijs.0.02503-0 |journal=International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology |year=2003 |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=847–851 |doi=10.1099/ijs.0.02503-0 |pmid=12807211 |issn=1466-5034|doi-access=free }}

{{ntsh|70000000000}} {{nowrap|70,000,000,000}}

|{{Scinote|70000000000}}

Hourly{{ntsh|70000000000000}} 70,000,000,000,000Estimated dose rate for the inner wall in ITER (2 kGy/s with an approximate weighting factor of 10)Henri Weisen: [https://crppwww.epfl.ch/~weisen/Cours_fichiers/ITER%20DIAGNOSTICS.pdf ITER Diagnostics], page 13. Accessed August 28, 2017

{{Wide image|PIA17601-Comparisons-RadiationExposure-MarsTrip-20131209.png|400px|Comparison of Radiation Doses - includes the amount detected on the trip from Earth to Mars by the RAD on the MSL (2011 - 2013).{{cite journal|last=Kerr|first=Richard|title=Radiation Will Make Astronauts' Trip to Mars Even Riskier|url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.340.6136.1031 |date=31 May 2013 |journal=Science |volume=340|number=6136|page=1031|doi=10.1126/science.340.6136.1031|access-date=31 May 2013 |pmid=23723213 |bibcode=2013Sci...340.1031K|url-access=subscription}}{{cite journal |author=Zeitlin, C. |title=Measurements of Energetic Particle Radiation in Transit to Mars on the Mars Science Laboratory|url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1235989 |journal=Science |date=31 May 2013|volume=340|number=6136|pages=1080–1084|doi=10.1126/science.1235989 |pmid=23723233|access-date=31 May 2013 |bibcode = 2013Sci...340.1080Z |s2cid=604569|display-authors=etal|url-access=subscription}}{{cite news|last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=Data Point to Radiation Risk for Travelers to Mars|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/science/space/data-show-higher-cancer-risk-for-mars-astronauts.html |date=30 May 2013 |work=New York Times|access-date=31 May 2013 }}{{cite journal |last=Gelling|first=Cristy|title=Mars trip would deliver big radiation dose; Curiosity instrument confirms expectation of major exposures|url=http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350728/description/Mars_trip_would_deliver_big_radiation_dose|volume=183|issue=13|page=8|journal=Science News |date=June 29, 2013 |access-date=July 8, 2013 |doi=10.1002/scin.5591831304|url-access=subscription}} }}

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See also

External links

  • [https://emmrem.unh.edu/csp/EMMREM/papers/carrington.pdf unh.edu: The Carrington event: Possible doses to crews in space from a comparable event], received in 2004 and concludes an interplanetary dose for a Carrington event at 34 - 45 Gy depending on type of flare spectrum and using a 1 gram/cm2 aluminium shield (3.7 mm thick). Dose can be decreased down to 3 Gy through the use of a 10 gram/cm2 aluminium shield (3.7 cm thick).

References

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Orders of magnitude}}

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Radiation