Ionizing radiation fields. Natural sources include the sun, lightning and supernova explosions. Artificial sources include nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, and x-ray tubes. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) itemized types of human exposures. The International Commission on Radiological Protection manages the International System of Radiological Protection, which sets recommended limits for dose uptake. Background radiation comes from both natural and man-made sources. The global average exposure of humans to ionizing radiation is about 3 mSv (0.3 rem) per year, 80% of which comes from nature. The remaining 20% results from exposure to man-made radiation sources, primarily
Radiation exposure Radiation exposure Radiation exposure is a measure of the ionization of air due to ionizing radiation from photons; that is, gamma rays and X-rays. It is defined as the electric charge freed by such radiation in a specified volume of air divided by the mass of that air. The SI unit of exposure is the coulomb per kilogram (C/kg), which has largely replaced the roentgen (R). One roentgen equals ; an exposure of one coulomb per kilogram is equivalent to 3876 roentgens. As a measure of radiation damage exposure has been superseded by the concept of absorbed dose which takes