*The effective doses are typical values for an average-sized adult. If you have questions about radiation risks, ask your medical physicist and/or radiologist about these risks and the benefits of your medical imaging procedure. Please note that this chart attempts to simplify a very complex topic. For more information on radiation safety in pediatric imaging, visit. Doses given to pediatric patients will vary significantly from those given to adults. Note for pediatric patients: Pediatric patients vary in size. Screening Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (3D Mammogram) Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Whole body protocol Non-Cardiac Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) To put it simply, the amount of radiation from one adult chest x-ray (0.1 mSv) is about the same as 10 days of natural background radiation that we are all exposed to as part of our daily living.Ĭomparable to natural background radiation for:Ĭomputed Tomography (CT)–Abdomen and PelvisĬomputed Tomography (CT)–Abdomen and Pelvis, repeated with and without contrast materialĬomputed Tomography (CT)–Brain, repeated with and without contrast materialĬomputed Tomography (CT)–Lung Cancer ScreeningĬoronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) Like other sources of background radiation, the amount of radon exposure varies widely depending on where you live. The largest source of background radiation comes from radon gas in our homes (about 2 mSv per year). A coast-to-coast round-trip airline flight is about 0.03 mSv due to exposure to cosmic rays. People living at high altitudes such as Colorado or New Mexico receive about 1.5 mSv more per year than those living near sea level. These natural 'background doses' vary according to where you live. receives an effective dose of about 3 mSv per year from natural radiation, which includes cosmic radiation from outer space. According to recent estimates, the average person in the U.S. We are exposed to natural sources of radiation all the time. Naturally occurring 'background' radiation Effective dose allows your doctor to evaluate your risk and compare it to common, everyday sources of exposure, such as natural background radiation. If you have an x-ray exam that includes tissues or organs that are more sensitive to radiation, your effective dose will be higher. Effective dose considers how sensitive different tissues are to radiation.

Risk refers to possible side effects, such as the chance of developing a cancer later in life.

Other radiation dose measurement units include rad, rem, roentgen, sievert, and gray.ĭoctors use 'effective dose' when they talk about the risk of radiation to the entire body. The scientific unit of measurement for whole body radiation dose, called 'effective dose,' is the millisievert (mSv). Radiation that passes through the body does not contribute to this dose. The amount the patient absorbs contributes to the patient's radiation dose. The x-rays that are not absorbed are used to create the image. When radiation passes through the body, some of it is absorbed.

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