Final answer:
Occupational and nonoccupational radiation doses will remain beneath maximum levels when employing protection techniques such as shielding, increasing distance, and limiting exposure time; adhering to legal dose limits; and monitoring environments for radiation sources like radon.
Step-by-step explanation:
Occupational and nonoccupational doses will remain well below maximum allowable levels when the principles of radiation protection such as using shielding, increasing the distance from a source, and limiting the time of exposure are adequately applied. Laws regulate maximum permissible radiation doses, with occupational limits generally set at 20 to 50 mSv/year depending on the country, while the public is allowed only 1/10 of these occupational doses, excluding nuclear power exposure, which is limited to 0.05 mSv/year. Diagnostic procedures like x-rays contribute to about 50% of the annual dose received, while natural radiation sources such as radon account for a significant portion of environmental exposure.
Managing the environmental factors, such as background radiation from radon which can vary greatly, is essential for indoor air quality, and mitigation measures may be required. One example of radiation exposure regulation includes the guideline that the 99th percentile of 1-hour daily maximum concentrations, averaged over three years, should not be exceeded more than once per year. It is vital to perform extensive monitoring using a variety of radiation detectors to ensure safety and to maintain doses below maximum allowable levels to avoid immediate health risks and minimize potential long-term effects, such as cancer or genetic changes.