Radiation in Everyday Life

On earth, radioactivity is a part of the environment and the human life is always exposed to both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. The naturally occurring radioactive elements, uranium and thorium, along with their decay progenies, the cosmic radiation from outer space and the human body itself, are the primary sources of natural radiation in everyday life. The man-made radioactive techniques such as medical imaging, radiotherapy, radiography, etc., developed for human benefits, comprise the main sources of artificial radiation. Extent of radiation exposure to inhabitants in different parts of the world varies depending on the occurrences of the radioactive geologic sources as well as on the availability of the beneficial nuclear facilities to the users. The ionizing radiations such as X-rays, α, β, or γ – rays, at higher doses, are generally harmful to people. On average, the natural radiation exposure dose to humans is ~ 3 mSv per year.