Radiation and you in the West

Terrestrial sources of radioactivity and human exposure from natural sources are discussed. Both indoor and outdoor doses and the dose from dietary intake are included. Results of a study of environmental radiation doses in Western Australia are presented. Background levels ranged from 12 mrem/year to about 430 mrem/year. There was a wide variation in radioactivity between individual vegetables but no significant difference between the total intake from all vegetables whether grown in a normal soil or soil containing bauxite residue. It is concluded that the potential uses of bauxite residue have no significant impact on background radiation