| Factor | Effect on dose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Location (rock type) | Higher on granite; lower on clay | Cornwall ~5 mSv/yr vs UK average 2.7 mSv/yr |
| Altitude | Higher altitude = more cosmic rays | Airline pilots receive ~2× average cosmic ray dose |
| Occupation | Some jobs increase exposure | Nuclear industry workers, radiographers |
| Building materials | Granite/stone buildings emit more gamma | Old granite church vs modern brick house |
| Medical procedures | CT scans add significant dose | Chest X-ray ~0.02 mSv; CT scan ~8 mSv |
This comparison covers Factors That Affect Background Radiation Dose within Background Radiation for GCSE Physics. Revise Background Radiation in Extra Topics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 5 of 12 in this topic. Use this comparison to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Background Radiation
What is background radiation?
Describe two natural sources and one artificial source of background radiation.
Quick recall flashcards
What are cosmic rays?
Radiation from space (from exploding stars) that contributes ~10% of background radiation
What is background radiation?
Low-level radiation that is always present in the environment from natural and artificial sources