Final answer:
The average dose rate to male gonads during the fluoroscopic portion of a BE examination is approximately 50 millirads per minute, which considers radiation protection measures and is at a safe level for medical imaging purposes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The average dose rate to male gonads during the fluoroscopic portion of a barium enema (BE) examination is approximately 50 millirads per minute. When considering radiation exposure, it is important to differentiate between units of radiation. The rad is a unit of absorbed radiation dose, where 1 rad equals to 0.01 joules per kilogram of tissue. In the context of medical imaging and radiation protection, the term millirad is often used, which is one-thousandth of a rad. Radiation protection principles such as shielding, distance, and time are utilized to minimize exposure during medical procedures. Realizing that exposure rates in the order of rads per minute would be extremely high and dangerous, it is clear that the average dose rate for such a medical procedure would be in millirads, which implies a much lower level of exposure to radiation, suitable for medical imaging purposes.