What is the dose limit for protecting property necessary for public welfare?

• A. 10 rem
• B. 25 rem
• C. 5 rem
• D. 1 rem

Answer: (A)

In radiological protection, there are higher dose allowances for protective actions taken to safeguard property and public welfare during an emergency. When the aim is to protect property essential to public welfare, the dose limit to an individual is ten rem. This higher limit exists because taking the protective action can prevent much greater harm to society and infrastructure, so a short-term, larger exposure is considered acceptable under careful control and justification.

The other numbers are not used for this purpose: they’re either below what’s allowed for such protective actions or pertain to different exposure scenarios (like typical public or organ-specific limits).