Concepts of Risk
Risks relative to other occupations
- Relative Risks 1
- Relative Risks 2
From data given above a whole body effective dose of 1mSv gives rise to a probability of 40 in a million (4 x 10-5) of developing a fatal cancer. This risk estimate can be compared to the risks of death associated with other occupations, and with the probability of dying from other causes:
SOURCE | RISK OF DEATH (PER YEAR) |
---|---|
Natural causes, 40 years old |
1 in 700 |
Modern Life (Unavoidable): |
|
Accidents on the road |
1 in 10,000 |
Accidents in the home |
1 in 25,000 |
Nuclear Discharges (max.) |
1 in 70,000 |
Occupational Hazards*: |
|
Sea Fishing Industry |
1 in 500 |
Clothing and Footwear |
1 in 300,000 |
Radiation Worker (Medical - 0.1mSv)) |
1 in 250,000 |
Accidents at work (all workers) |
1 in 50,000 |
Medical Investigations: |
|
Chest X-Ray (ave. 0.05mSv) |
1 in 500,000 |
Barium Enema (ave. 7.7mSv) |
1 in 3,250 |
Bone Scan (ave. 4mSv) |
1 in 6,250 |
Voluntary Acts: |
|
Smoking 20 cigarettes per day |
1 in 100 |
Rock climbing for 5 hours |
1 in 5,000 |
Canoeing for 10 hours |
1 in 10,000 |
TOTAL (ALL CAUSES) |
1 in 80 |
* - Source for Occupational Hazards - HSE 1982.
It should be noted:
- the average annual risk of death from 0.1mSv is much less than that from all accidents at work averaged together.
- the probability of developing a fatal cancer from 0.1mSv per year is only approximately 1/10th the risk of dying from an accident in the home.
Other risks that may be quoted, in terms of "one in a million" include:
- smoking 1 cigarette (in a lifetime)
- travelling 50 miles by car
- travelling 250 miles by air
- rock climbing for 1.5 minutes
- canoeing for 6 minutes
- being aged 60 for 20 minutes
- being aged 30 for 9 hours
Conversely a positron may be created when the nucleus has too many protons to be stable and it is the changing of a proton into a neutron with the subsequent release of a positron particle that accounts for the genesis positrons.
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Which type of radiation is most easiest to shield?