A Day in the Life

No matter where you live, you're exposed to low levels of "background" radiation - from air, soil, water, and cosmic radiation that bombards the earth from outer space.

In New York City and other communities at or near sea level, you might get about 0.8 millirem a day, at least 8 times the dose from airport scanners.

At higher elevations, the cosmic radiation is more intense - because there's less atmosphere above to shield you. In the "mile-high" city of Denver, for example, you might be exposed to 0.9 millirems a day.

Credit: istockphoto