A lateral DXA is non-invasive and has low-radiation exposure. A DEXA scan typically exposes a person to a radiation dose of about 1 to 2 microsieverts (µSv). On average, everyone is exposed to natural background radiation from the environment. This exposure amounts to about 2 to 3 µSv per day from cosmic rays from space, naturally occurring radioactive materials in the ground, and other minor sources. To compare: one dental X-ray exposes a person to about 5 µSv, which is 2.5 times the upper range of a DEXA scan. A chest X-ray exposes people to about 100 µSv, which is the equivalent to having 50 to 100 DEXA scans.