How much is too much radiation?

Answer 1

That is a very good question and not easy to answer. This will depend on the individual, the risk they are taking and the benefit that they will receive from it. As pointed out in the Radiation and Us page, we receive approximately 360 mrem of radiation every year. The legal limit imposed by the federal government in this country for an occupationally exposed worker is 5,000 mrem per year. If we look first at doses received in a short amount of time, (acute doses), the first biological effect begins to be able to be detected by laboratory analysis at 10,000 to 25,000 mrem. Actual immediate life threatening doses are limited to levels of 100,000 mrem and above. The life shortening doses may be lower than that, and are approximated by taking the data at higher doses where the effects are apparent and extrapolating the risk down to lower doses. Being conservative, the regulators use a model of a straight line from high doses down through the zero dose/zero risk point, so that any dose presents some small risk. Also you need to know that doses received over a longer period of time allows for repair of cells by the body, and presents less of a risk. See the Radiation and Risk page for more information. So to answer the question, the doses receive by the workers in nuclear power, an extra 100 to 5,000 mrem per year (average about 500 mrem), are seen by most scientific organizations as presenting a low risk compared to normal occupational hazards encountered during a working lifetime. Children, fetuses and embryos are more sensitive and have a longer expression time than adults, and so have smaller allowable doses. It is really a personal choice how much is too much. In some situations, such as to save someone's life, I personally would accept around 100 rem, but in the normal course of my work, I would rather keep my dose to less than 5 rem per year.

Answer 2

too much radiation means exactly that .It is too much and has damaged your body or this amount could cause damage.Every one is different and some can handle it while others cannot.Radiation can actually fry your internal body organs and when this happens then you have had too much and sorry but there is no cure for that.Radiation used for x ray technology is enough to harm you and this is why the radiologist takes cover while doing an x ray.It does not harm you by getting an x ray because you are shielded.

Answer 3

Your question is not exact enough to answer. Are you asking about natural radiation, therapeutic radiation, lethal dosage that cause death or cancer?

Answer 4

any amount of radiation is to much radiation

Answer 5

well since you exsposed to alot every day im thinking just about 50 to 100 rads a day will give you later in life a nice cancerus tumor.

Answer 6

When You start hearing "The Voices" and they try to get you to do mischievious, vindictive, violent, and distructive things.

http://www.alchemyrealm.com/entities.htm

Answer 7

Five hundred rads as a full-body dose will kill you, most unpleasantly. Fifty will make you sick.

Answer 8

When your nipples fall off, you've had too much.

Answer 9

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/trinity/articles/closer4.html

Answer 10

When suddenly u have superpowers :P