Calculate Your Radiation Dose

Enter values or select entries where options are provided. (Some entries for the annual dose calculator are already filled in.)
Click the "calculate dose" button.

Source	Your Average Annual Dose (mrem)
Cosmic radiation at sea level (from outer space)	26
What is the elevation (in feet) of your town?
Terrestrial (from the ground):
What region of the US do you live in?
Internal radiation (in your body):
From food and water, (e.g., potassium)	40
From air, (radon)	200
Do you wear a plutonium powered pacemaker?
Do you have porcelain crowns or false teeth?
Travel Related Sources:
Add 1 for each 1000 miles traveled by jet this year:
Are X-ray luggage inspection machines used at your airport?
Do you use gas lantern mantles when camping?
Miscellaneous Sources:
Weapons test fallout	1
House construction: Do you live in a stone, brick, or concrete building?
Do you wear a luminous wristwatch (LCD)?
Do you watch TV?
Do you use a computer terminal?
Do you have a smoke detector in your home?
How many medical x-rays do you receive per year? (40 mrem each)
How many nuclear medical procedures do you receive per year? (14 mrem each)
Do you live within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant?
Do you live within 50 miles of a coal fired power plant?

The amount of radiation exposure is usually expressed in a unit called millirem (mrem). In the United States, the average person is exposed to an effective dose equivalent of approximately 620 mrem (whole-body exposure) per year from all sources (NCRP Report No.160).
The dose calculator is based on the American Nuclear Society's brochure, "Personal Radiation Dose Chart". The primary sources of information we relied on are the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Reports #92-#95, and #100. Please remember that the values used in the calculator are general averages and do not provide precise individual dose calculations.

National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements
CRP’s mission is to formulate and widely disseminate information, guidance and recommendations on radiation protection and measurements which represent the consensus of leading scientific thinking.

Special thanks to UT-ANS group for providing the CGI script that was used to construct this yearly dose calculator web page.

Radiation: Facts, Risks and Realities (PDF)(17 pp, 1.74MB) [EPA 402-K-10-008], April 2012

This booklet provides basic facts about radiation science, as well as information on the risks and realities of radiation exposure.