Background radiation

Background radiation is around us all of the time. It comes from: • natural sources such as rocks and cosmic rays from space • man-made sources such as the fallout from nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents.

The level of background radiation and radiation dose may be affected by occupation and/or location.

• Occupation can affect exposure. Certain types of jobs can affect exposure to radiation. For example, pilots and air hostesses are exposed to more cosmic radiation. Similarly, radiology technicians work with X rays, exposing them to more radiation.
• Location can affect exposure. Certain locations will have a higher level of background radiation compared to other locations. This is due to rocks having different amounts of unstable nuclei, leading to varying amounts of background radiation.