I took Grad Lab, and one of my projects was to study the Muon flux from cosmic rays... we had a detector and we counted the particles and looked for their decay in a scintillator...

If the average person had any idea how many charged particles are smashing through their body every second they would absolutely panic... I dont remember the numbers, but I do remember thinking that its amazing cancer is as rare as it is given that flux- the human body apparently is very self correcting.

(I had to make a poster describing my results, I found a 'Gateway' computer ad that showed a cow in a spacesuit orbiting above the earth... I put it on my poster... The dour ex-navy professor grading me sternly asked what the picture was doing in my presentation- I smiled and calmly explained that it was a depiction of a 'moo-on' entering the upper atmosphere... it was the only time I saw him grin... it was clear he was trying so hard not to crack a smile... I think I got an 'A')

Anyway, radiation is natural... potassium atoms in your body are undergoing beta decay as you read this- possibly ripping apart a strand of your DNA, maybe killing a cell, maybe making it cancerous... and your body is - most likely- fixing the problem. People that fear radiation irrationally have no problem going out to get a tan, or eating a well done burger... its all an issue of perception and education- its like people that would rather drive than fly because they are worried about a terrorist threat- they are actually increasing their risk... When I fly, I know I am getting a surplus dose of radiation, yet it really does not bother me a bit- I know that the risks are miniscule and not worth worrying about