In the modern world, many natural phenomena are used to achieve noble goals. Radiation was no exception. Without it, it is difficult to make an adequate diagnosis and verify the integrity of the details. But this leads to the fact that the norm of the background radiation varies depending on the place of residence or work. People receive a portion of radiation every day. When do you need to take measures to reduce the negative impact on the body?
General radiation information
Before we talk about which norm of the radiation background is acceptable for a person, we need to understand the theory. At the heart of everything is the concept of radioactivity. It consists in the fact that the nuclei of some atoms are characterized by instability. This means that they spontaneously decay, and in doing so, ionizing radiation, that is, radiation, is released. It is formed by several types of particles: alpha, beta, gamma and neutrons. Especially dangerous is gamma radiation, which is characterized by high penetrating power. X-rays are akin to gamma rays, but have less energy. The largest natural source of such radiation is the Sun. But its radiation is only part of everything that makes up the norm of the background radiation.
Components of phonon radiation
It consists of natural and man-made elements. Natural radiation is formed from such factors:
- cosmic rays;
- underground deposits of radionuclides, they also irradiate natural building materials from which houses are later built;
- the same radioactive substances, but distributed in water and air;
- as well as in food;
- potassium-40 and rubidium-87, which are always present in the human body and cannot be eliminated.
Natural radioactive background is always and everywhere. This is not an exception, but a rule. Only the norm of the radiation background for each specific area is different.
Artificially increases the background radiation of human activity. For example, mining, burning, the use of phosphate fertilizers. No less contribution falls to the share of testing nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants and air transport. In addition, accidental infections cannot be discounted. These are all kinds of accidents and transportation losses.
The problem is that a person does not have a sense organ that can perceive radiation. Therefore, in hazardous areas, special instruments are necessarily used - dosimeters that signal the excess of received radiation.
Units of radiation and radioactivity
These are different concepts, and their units of measurement are different. A measure of radioactivity is the activity of a substance. It is measured in becquerels. One becquerel is equal to 1 decay of an atom per second. Often it is evaluated per unit mass or volume.
The ionizing radiation that occurs when atoms decay is measured in x-rays. But this is a very large value. Therefore, in practice, microroentgenes, i.e. a millionth part, are more often mentioned. Moreover, the effect depends on the exposure time. And the value in which the norm of the background radiation is measured is μR / h, that is, microroentgen per hour.
There is another quantity - it is sievert. It is used to evaluate human exposure. Using this unit, the equivalent dose is measured. The power of this dose was called sievert per hour. For domestic purposes, one sievert is equal to 100 x-rays.
Examples of radiation dose values
All the radiation that is received by the body leaves a radiation footprint, and it will never be possible to get rid of it. So, all natural sources of radiation in total give a dose that fluctuates around a value of 3 mSv per year. It may be slightly smaller or slightly larger depending on the area. But it is characterized as an allowable norm of the background radiation.
The dose received by a person in his entire life should not be more than 700 mSv. Most often, mountain residents come close to this value.
In addition, people are constantly faced with additional exposure, for example, during a medical examination. It is advisable that these studies do not go beyond the maximum dose.
| Value | Procedure name |
| up to 0.06 mSv | digital fluorogram |
| up to 0.25 mSv | x-ray film |
| up to 0.4 mSv | radiography |
| up to 0.35 mSv | tooth x-ray |
| about 0.001 mSv | scanner at the airport |
What is the effect of radiation on the human body?
If the dose fits into the values that are regulated by the norm of the radiation background, then people simply do not notice it. Their life goes on as usual, and no negative impact is manifested. But if the dose is many times greater than the value and radiation occurs in a short period of time, then we are talking about radiation sickness. It causes metabolic disorders, leukemia and cancer, skin burns and cataracts, complicates the course of infectious diseases, and leads to infertility.
