Estimate of TV viewer load with ionizing radiation

The dose equivalent (Hsub(E)) was chosen as the quantity representing the load of the television viewer. The initial data for computing Hsub(E) were air kerma values of X-ray radiation determined for fifty types of color television sets. The dependence was determined of kerma in the air on distance from the television screen, and using conversion relations from kerma in the air to effective dose equivalent the same dependence was determined for the effective dose equivalent. From the assumed time spent by watching television, the irradiation of the TV viewer was estimated due to X-rays emitted by the television screen, and compared with the radiation load from exposure to the natural background. (author)