Ionizing radiation from medical imaging. Average man-made exposure is much higher in developed countries, mostly due to CT scans and nuclear medicine. Natural background radiation comes from five primary sources: cosmic radiation, solar radiation, external terrestrial sources, radiation in the human body, and radon. The background rate for natural radiation varies considerably with location, being as low as 1.5 mSv/a (1.5 mSv per year) in some areas and over 100 mSv/a in others. The highest level of purely natural radiation recorded on the Earth's surface is 90 µGy/h (0.8 Gy/a) on a Brazilian black beach composed of monazite. The highest background radiation
Treatment of infections after exposure to ionizing radiation mucositis and esophagitis suggest Herpes simplex infection or candidiasis. Either empirical antiviral or antifungal therapy or both should be considered. In addition to infections due to neutropenia, a patient with the Acute Radiation Syndrome will also be at risk for viral, fungal and parasitic infections. If these types of infection are suspected, cultures should be performed and appropriate medication started if indicated. Treatment of infections after exposure to ionizing radiation Infections caused by exposure to ionizing radiation can be extremely dangerous, and are of public and government concern. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the susceptibility of organisms to systemic infection