Daily Dose of Radiation

If you are worried about airport body scanners, here's something else to think about. According the EPA, the annual radiation from cosmic rays created at the Big Bang is 26 times more than a single airport scan; average exposure from a mammogram is 200 times more; and a single CT scan creates 2000 times more radiation exposure than an airport body scan.

Radiation exposure can vary according to radiation-intensive activities (ie medical imaging), occupation or where a person lives (Albuquerque, New Mexico is reportedly quite radioactive as a result of altitude and lots of rock emitting radon). The EPA provides a radiation calculator on its website, where individuals can plug in their details and get an estimate of annual radiation.

Total U.S. Average Annual Absorbed Radiation:  360 (millirems per year)

Average Annual Absorbed Radiation by Source (millirems per year):

Radon (air)                                                200

Mammogram                                             200

Food and water (e.g. potassium)                  40

Standard Medical X-rays (chest x-ray = 10)  40

Cosmic Radiation (outer space)                    26 

Airline Travel                                   1 for every 1000 miles traveled

Airport Body Scan                               1 for reach full body scan  

Watching TV                                                1