June 2008
How much radiation exposure are you getting?
| Radiation exposure | |
|---|---|
| We are constantly exposed to background radiation from natural sources. This table estimates how that compares with radiation you can get from common X-rays and CT scans. | |
| Procedure | Comparable to the typical background radiation for… |
| Dental bitewing X-ray | 8-9 hours |
| Bone densitometry (X-ray) | 1 day |
| Chest X-ray | 5-10 days |
| Standard mammography | 3 months |
| CT of abdomen | 2.5 years |
| CT angiography | 3.5 years |
| CT of whole body | 7.5 years |
