How much radiation can the general public be exposed to in a year?

• A. 1 mSv
• B. 5 mSv
• C. 0.1 mSv
• D. 10 mSv

Answer: (A)

The general public should not receive more than a small, protective annual dose from all radiation sources. That limit is 1 milliSievert per year. It’s set to keep cancer risk from radiation at a very low level while accounting for natural background radiation (which people always have) and exposures from medical procedures or other sources. If yearly exposure were as high as several milliSieverts, the collective risk to the population would rise more noticeably, especially for sensitive groups.

Why the other numbers aren’t the right target: 0.1 milliSievert is far below the standard annual limit and wouldn’t reflect the practical reality of background and medical exposures combined. 5 or 10 milliSieverts per year would exceed the public limit and aren’t considered acceptable for routine exposure.