Radiation level by source, 2000
Development
A provisional analysis shows that the average annual radiation dose per capita in the Netherlands in 2000 was approximately 2.3 mSv. Seventy per cent of this came from natural sources (Blaauboer, 2001). Some of this natural contribution has been increased by human intervention (for example, external radiation from building materials and exposure to cosmic radiation when flying) and is designated using the term 'technologically enhanced natural'. Exposure to ionising radiation during hospital treatment (X-rays, for example) dominates the radiation originating from artificial sources (red) with an estimated dose of 0.6 mSv per year. This last category in particular has continued to increase in recent years - by approximately 25% since 1988 - primarily as a result of an increase in the number of CT scans.
Approximately one third of the average radiation dose is determined by radon and thoron indoors. The 'other sources' component comprises exposure to radiation during air travel and after the discharge of nuclides from hospitals and laboratories. Almost 85% of the 'naturally occurring in the body' component is attributable to potassium-40 and lead -210/polonium-210 ingested in food.
Policy
The policy is very wide-ranging and can be sub-divided into environmental management, protection at work, and patient protection. The environment policy focuses on exposure to synthetic sources and on radon and decay products in built-up areas. Policy in the area of radon (in part technologically enhanced) focuses on new buildings. You can find a more detailed discussion of the policy in the relevant indicators (see also Eleveld et al., 2002).
Relevance
The average individual dose resulting from ionising radiation in the Netherlands was approximately 2.3 mSv in 2000. This dose corresponds to almost 2000 deaths annually (from cancer) in the Netherlands.
