Annual occupational dose limit for whole-body exposure is typically about?

• A. Typically about 50 mSv per year.
• B. Typically about 5 mSv per year.
• C. Typically about 100 mSv per year.
• D. Typically about 0.5 Sv per year.

Answer: (A)

Understanding occupational exposure limits helps balance the need to work with protecting health. For the whole body, the typical annual limit is about 50 millisieverts. This cap is set because it limits the risk of stochastic effects from repeated exposure while still allowing necessary occupational activities. It’s higher than the public exposure limit (about 1 mSv per year) because workers may encounter higher doses in their jobs, but it remains a conservative limit to protect long‑term health. The other numbers don’t fit standard practice: 5 mSv per year is far too low for most occupational roles; 100 mSv per year would exceed common safety guidelines; 0.5 Sv (500 mSv) per year is well above typical limits. In some regulations you’ll see a related rule—an average of 20 mSv per year over five years, with no more than 50 mSv in any single year—but the practical whole‑body limit many programs use is 50 mSv per year.