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407835
Natural Radioactivity and Radiation

John H. Harley (HASL)

ee

Wayne M. Lowder (HASL)
The measured levels of artificial radioactivity and radiation from weapons
tests or the operation of nuclear facilities are often compared with the levels
of natural background radicactivity.

While many of these comparisons are not

relevant it was felt to be worth while to have available a compilation of natural
radioactivity and radiation levels.

This compilation can then be used to provide

general figures for cases where such comparisons are valid.
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation

(UNSCEAR) has treated natural radioactivity in its 1958, 1962 and 1966 reports
and other summaries of data are also available.

The present compilation makes

use of these previous collections and references rather than returning to the
original papers on the subject.

This was done both to avoid the labor of pre-

paring new mean values and also to take advantage of the judgment of previous
compilers.
The data are presented as a series of tables indicating concentrations of
radioactivity in various parts of the environment plus measurements and calcu-

lations of the amounts in diet and man as well as the calculated resultant internal radiation doses.

The external radiation dose is discussed separately.

In addition to presenting an estimate of the mean value, the expected
ranges are shown where the data are available.

There has also been an attempt

to stress measurements for the United States although these values should not
be significantly different than worldwide values for the specific purposes of

this compilation.

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