--- title: 6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life description: If you watch TV or use a cell phone, you're getting radiation. If you smoke cigarettes, you're definitely getting it too. 7144345 canonical: https://time.com/archive/7144345/do-you-know-how-much-radiation-youre-getting/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2010-09-14T16:00:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T11:35:00.515Z article:section: Health og:title: 6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life og:description: If you watch TV or use a cell phone, you're getting radiation. If you smoke cigarettes, you're definitely getting it too. 7144345 og:url: https://time.com/archive/7144345/do-you-know-how-much-radiation-youre-getting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt891312c5e7718336/698a956a9862f51eff89c002/xraycropped.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: A warning sign is pictured in the assembly hall of the Linac 4 at the CERN in Meyrin near Geneva og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life twitter:description: If you watch TV or use a cell phone, you're getting radiation. If you smoke cigarettes, you're definitely getting it too. 7144345 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt891312c5e7718336/698a956a9862f51eff89c002/xraycropped.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # 6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Sep 14, 2010 4:00 PM UTC  A warning sign is pictured in the assembly hall of the Linac 4 (Linear Accelerator 4) at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva October 16, 2008\. The current accelerator, built in 1978 and which will be replaced in 2013 by Linac 4, separates hydrogen gas into electrons and protons and provides protons beams to the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) that scientists at the CERN use to re-enact the conditions of the "Big Bang" that created the universe. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse(SWITZERLAND) A warning sign is pictured in the assembly hall of the Linac 4 (Linear Accelerator 4) at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin near Geneva October 16, 2008\. The current accelerator, built in 1978 and which will be replaced in 2013 by Linac 4, separates hydrogen gas into electrons and protons and provides protons beams to the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) that scientists at the CERN use to re-enact the conditions of the "Big Bang" that created the universe. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse(SWITZERLAND)REUTERS by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Sep 14, 2010 4:00 PM UTC If you watch TV or use a cell phone, you’re getting radiation. 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