What is the NCRP recommended annual dose limit for the skin and extremities of a radiation worker?

• A. 5 millisieverts (mSv)
• B. 50 millisieverts (mSv)
• C. 150 millisieverts (mSv)
• D. 500 millisieverts (mSv)

Answer: (D)

Dose limits are tissue-specific guidelines that protect workers by accounting for how different parts of the body respond to radiation. The skin and extremities can accumulate higher localized doses because these areas are often closest to the source during procedures, yet the overall body exposure remains lower. For occupational exposure, the NCRP sets the annual limit for the skin and extremities at 500 millisieverts. This higher limit reflects the need to allow necessary work near sources while still preventing harmful local tissue effects, since the skin can tolerate more dose in a single year before significant local damage could occur. By comparison, other limits show the pattern: the lens of the eye has a lower annual limit, and the whole-body effective dose limit is even lower, illustrating how limits vary by tissue and exposure scenario.