radiation - interesting story

[xcalibur]

I just read this in the Globe and Mail, which (I think) is our largest paper in Canada:

LINK DELETED PER FORUM POSTING POLICIES -- PLEASE REVIEW IN TOP SECTION OF MAIN PAGE -- THANK YOU.


It's all about radiation risks from x-rays.

[xcalibur]

Thanks to Shemay for sending me some more links, including a correction of the first one I tried (but failed...!) to post:

LINKS DELETED PER FORUM POSTING POLICIES -- PLEASE REVIEW IN TOP SECTION OF MAIN PAGE -- THANK YOU.

[brainman]

I am not sure how to rate it. Needless to say, there must be some reason why radiation techs wear lead gowns. Also, I know that a lot of doctors are concerned about unwarranted x-Rays and CTs.

[rockstar]

just quick info on X-rays, health care professionals are allowed .005 of exposure every year to x-rays. They reason why they wear gowns is because that is what they do every day. Also, x-rays travel in a straight line so even it reaching other areas of the body that it is not directed to is very slim. That radiation that can bounce and reach other areas is called scatter radiation and is so diluted by that point.

The amount of radiation needed to create an x-rays is very very very little. So much so that you can have for example dental x-rays done every year with no adverse side effects. They amount of radiation that is given out by the machine is not even on for 1/16 of a second. If you leave a x-ray film in the sun for a 30 minutes it will be exposed. Think about that.

But obviously, if you are exposed to unsafe levels of radiation for long periods of time, the results can be deadly. ie Madam Curie.

*know fact and dental assistants used to hold x-ray films in peoples mouth with their thumb back in the 50's ended up losing their thumbs!

[brainman]

rockstar, you said it a lot better than I . Thanks for the numbers.

[xcalibur]

Thanks for the info...! Sorry my links were deleted - they were to several stories from large circulation newspapers so I didn't think it'd be a conflict/problem (the first was the globe and mail, which is the highest circulation newspaper in Canada).

[xcalibur]

I don't think I can post the link, but there was a story on this on our provincial TV news (global news). They had a quote from the president of the radiologists association - he also said patients need to be told of these risks, but aren't currently.

[xcalibur]

I'm curious about the person who replied to the poll saying they thought that the risk was 'very high' - can I ask what they meant (if they see this)?
Do you mean overall to us at a population level, or as a specific patient?

[brainman]

I do not know who replied that way, but I would strongly disagree. If I could edit a pole, I would remove that vote because it is dangerous to spread that kind of rumor.