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background radiation

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background radiation

Radiation that is always present in the environment. By far the greater proportion (87%) of it is emitted from natural sources. Alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma radiation are emitted by the traces of radioactive minerals that occur naturally in the environment and even in the human body (for example, by breathing in 14C). Radioactive gases such as radon and thoron are found in soil and may seep upwards into buildings. Radiation from space (cosmic radiation) also contributes to the background level.

The background count is the count registered on a Geiger counter when no other radioactive source is nearby.



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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
And it just so happens that 1965 was also the year of the discovery of cosmic background radiation, the first physical evidence of the big bang, which made front-page news.
1000 words: Josiah McElheny; Talks about An End to Modernity and ... by Rothkopf, Scott / Artforum International
This is a delayed coincidence experiment, so only accidental coincidences from background radiation will appear as background events in the data.
Proposed measurement of the beta-neutrino correlation in neutron decay by Yerozolimsky, B.G. / Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
The average annual effective dose from natural background radiation in the United States is estimated to be approximately 3 mSv (300 mrem) [Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR V) 1990].
Long-term follow-up of the residents of the three mile island ... by Zborowski, Jeanne V. / Environmental Health Perspectives
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