Ionising Radiation National Dose Report

Summary: This is a new assessment, completed by EPA and the Health information and Quality Authority, of the average radiation dose received by the Irish population.

Ionising Radiation National Dose Report report cover thumbnail

Published: 2024

ISBN: 978-1-80009-185-6

Pages: 13

Filesize: 1,464 KB

Format: pdf

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Irish people, on average, receive a higher radiation dose than the global average mainly due to relatively high radon exposure in indoor air in Ireland.

The assessment found that over 99% of the dose comes from natural radiation sources and medical exposures, such as X-rays and CT scans. 

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer contributes almost 60% of the annual dose. Medical exposures account for just over 10%.

Radioactivity from other artificial sources such as discharges from nuclear facilities abroad, the fallout from historic nuclear weapons testing and past nuclear accidents make up less than 1% of the overall dose.  

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