Backround Radiation

Radioactivity is everywhere. For someone living in New York City there is a nuclear powerplant in Westchester. On a smaller scale, our microwaves contain radiation, and the potassium in our bananas contain radiation. This radioactivity in the world around us is called background radiation. Background radiation is ionizing radiation.  About 16% of background radiation is created by humans.  13% of the 16% of the background radiation is from nuclear medicine and x-ray machines. The other 3% is from things such as: smoke detectors, leftover radiation from old bomb tests, nuclear powerplants, previous powerplant meltdowns, and glow in the dark dials and paint. Most natural background radiation is from thoron and radon, two natural gases in the earth which leak through the ground and into buildings. Other sources of natural radiation are cosmic rays, and elements besides thoron and radon that are in food and building materials.