Study for the Dental Radiology Foundation Chain and Physics Test. Enhance your skills with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Prepare for your success!

Multiple Choice

What is the approximate contribution of artificial radiation to human exposure?

Most exposure to radiation comes from natural background sources, such as cosmic rays, radon inhalation, and natural radionuclides in the environment and in our bodies. Artificial or human-made radiation, mainly from medical imaging like X-rays and CT scans, adds to that exposure but constitutes a smaller portion. On average worldwide, artificial radiation contributes about one-fifth of the total annual dose, commonly cited as roughly 18–20%, with natural background making up the remaining ~80%. So the approximate contribution of artificial radiation is about 18%.

Most exposure to radiation comes from natural background sources, such as cosmic rays, radon inhalation, and natural radionuclides in the environment and in our bodies. Artificial or human-made radiation, mainly from medical imaging like X-rays and CT scans, adds to that exposure but constitutes a smaller portion. On average worldwide, artificial radiation contributes about one-fifth of the total annual dose, commonly cited as roughly 18–20%, with natural background making up the remaining ~80%. So the approximate contribution of artificial radiation is about 18%.