Where does radiation come from

Sources of radiation to which the general population are exposed and the doses received from these sources are examined. From these estimates it is concluded that the major contribution to the dose to the population is from natural background radiation and that the largest man-made contribution is from the medical use of radiation. The largest contribution from environmental contamination is still from the residual effects of fallout from nuclear weapons testing, occupational exposure and radiation from miscellaneous sources being the next largest components. Radioactive waste disposal is the smallest contributor to the per caput dose to the population. (U.K.)