Concepts of Risk

Loss of Life Expectancy

The following table indicates the number of days of life expectancy which may be lost from the described sources / activities.  It indicates the relative hazard of working with radiation, and of receiving a single exposure from (say) a medical x-ray examination:

Table: Expected Loss of Life from Various Sources
Exposure to 1mSv per year for life
10 days
Exposure to 10mSv per year from 18-65 years old
50 days
Cigarette smoking (male)
2250 days
Being 30 % overweight
1300 days
Motor vehicle accident
207 days
Accidents at work (average)
74 days
Natural radiation
8 days
Saccharin in diet drinks
2 days
Single Exposure to 10mSv (e.g. medical exp.)
1.5 days