Radiaton Health Hazards at Work

Most recent answer: 04/30/2020

Q:
I worked in Nuclear Power Plant and when I left they did a whole body scan. And from 3/6/87 to 3/31/87 my Gamma exposure dosage according to the scan is 0.033 and from 4/1/87 to 4/17/97 the reading is 0.014 Are these dangerous exposure readings? These are the reading in my body when I left. They sent me an exposure letter and these were the readings.
- Floyd Castle (age 74)
Schenectady, NY USA
A:

Hi,

I don't know how your radiation exposure can be measured using a whole body scan after the fact, so I'll assume that the letter you received was a record of dosimeter readings taken throughout your employment.

You don't say what units were used for these measurements, so I'll assume that they are sieverts (Sv), which is the standard unit.  If you learn that other units were used, here is a conversion table.  

The annual radiation dose limit is 0.05 Sv, so your 10 year exposure of 0.014 is well below that limit.

Another common unit (in the USA) is the REM (1 REM = 0.01 Sv).  The annual dose limit is 5 REM.  If that unit was used in the report. your 10-year dose is a miniscule fraction of the limit,


(published on 04/30/2020)