Section Home Pages

• Environmental Sciences Section

• Radioactive Air Emissions

• Radioactive Materials

• Radiological Emergency Preparedness

• Waste Management

• X-Ray

Fact Sheets

• Radiation Fact Sheets
 

Publications

• Radiation Publications
 

References

• Regulatory Programs and Rules

• Radiation Glossary

• Alternative File Format

• Download Viewers 

   The Division of Environmental Health licenses, certifications, and permits

Learn more about the Division of Environmental Health

Typical Patient Exposures

• Contact Information
• Full-Body CT Scans - What You Need to Know
• Typical Exams and Exposures
• Nationwide Evaluation of X-Ray Trends (NEXT)
  • Thirty Years of NEXT - November 2006 (PDF, 132.88KB)

To compare exposure measurements:

• The national average whole-body or background radiation dose to each of us is about 620 millirem per year (228 of that is estimated to come from radon exposure).

• 300 millirem is the average received from all medical exposures.  300 mrem represents a six fold increase in average medical exposures over the past 25 years.  Half of the average background medical exposure (147 mrem) is from computed tomography (CT) exams, a relatively new technology that has significantly improved diagnostic imaging.

• The occupational dose limit to a radiation worker, such as a dental hygienist or assistant, medical X-ray technologist, radiologist, or therapy technologist is 5000 millirem per year.

• The established dose limit to a member of the public from non-medical or dental X-ray sources (such as airport X-ray machines) is 100 millirem per year.

• There is NO LIMIT for exposure to properly prescribed diagnostic and therapeutic sources for a patient. These exposures can be whatever is necessary based on the patient's medical and dental needs.

Typical Exams and Exposures

Below is a list of representative patient exams and the skin entrance exposures associated with them.

• Dental bitewing (3 inch diameter area)

  • 300 millirem -- film

  • 90 millirem -- digital radiography (DR)

  • 140 millirem -- computed radiography (CR)

• Chest X-ray 20 millirem (14 x 17 inch area)

• Abdominal film 300 millirem (14 x 17)

• Lumbar spine 350 millirem (14 x 17)

• Extremity X-ray 30 millirem (8 x 10)

• Skull X-ray 100 millirem (8 x 10)

• Breast (mammogram) 175 millirads (glandular tissue dose)

Nationwide Evaluation of X-Ray Trends

The Nationwide Evaluation of X-Ray Trends (NEXT) (PDF) program is a partnership of agencies which perform studies to characterize the radiation doses patients receive during diagnostic X-ray examinations.

• Thirty Years of NEXT - November 2006 (PDF, 132.88KB)
• Food and Drug Administration

Contact Information

X-Ray Control Section
P.O. Box 47827
Olympia, WA 98504-7827

Phone 360-236-3231
FAX 360-236-2266

DOH Home | Access Washington | Privacy Notice | Disclaimer/Copyright Information

Last Update : 10/12/2011 01:29 PM