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Unnecessary Medical ionizing radiation increases cancer risk

(USA) Glance: High-grade medical scans are key contributor to rising radiation exposure Health News February 9th, 2010 The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it will work with doctors and manufacturers to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure from medical scans, a problem that has been growing for decades.
The initiative will focuses on high-grade forms of imaging, including CT scans, nuclear medicine and fluoroscopy. Since the 1980s these technologies have helped doctors make lifesaving diagnoses, but they also use high doses of cancer-causing radiation.

While the risk of a single scan is small, some medical experts are worried about the health risks of a lifetime’s worth of medical scanning…………

the researchers estimated that medical imaging exposes 4 million nonelderly adults to high-level doses of radiation, or more than 20 millisieverts a year.

CT, nuclear imaging and other high-tech tests counted for just 21 percent of total imaging procedures, while traditional X-Rays made up more than 70 percent. However, the high tech scans were the leading contributor of actual radiation exposure, accounting for 75 percent.

Glance: High-grade medical scans are key contributor to rising radiation exposure

February 9, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, radiation, radioactive