How high is the radiation exposure in Germany?
Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.
Everyone is constantly exposed to natural ionizing radiation in their everyday life. Part of it comes from space (cosmic rays). The rest is made up of terrestrial radiation emanating from natural radioactive substances in soils and rock layers. Overall, natural radiation exposure in Germany averages 2.1 millisieverts. In individual cases, the values fluctuate between 1 and 10 millisieverts, depending on where you live and your diet and lifestyle. For example, frequent fliers (especially if they often fly long distances) receive a higher dose of radiation than people who rarely or never get on a plane. Because the higher the altitude, the higher the cosmic radiation from space.
In addition to natural radiation exposure, there is also civilizational radiation exposure - i.e. the amount of radiation that affects the body in the context of medical treatment or examination as well as technical applications. In this country it is an average of 2.0 millisieverts per year.
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