Straight
talk about X-Rays
How Safe are X-Rays?
In the 100+ years since the discovery of X-rays, the use of X-rays and other imaging procedures has revolutionized the practice of medicine. Like most other forms of progress, questions arise about the safety of medical X-ray examinations. Clifton Park Advanced Imaging is pleased to offer this information to you and to your physician as part of our ongoing commitment to patient education and to the highest standards of radiologic practice.
Radiation is part of nature
We are constantly exposed to naturally occurring sources of radiation in the environment. These natural sources of radiation are of two major types: cosmic radiation (originating outside our atmosphere) and radioactivity from certain minerals in the earth (e.g., radon) or from commonly used building materials (brick and masonry). Taken together, these naturally occurring radiation sources produce an annual radiation exposure of approximately 300 mrem to residents of the United States. This natural background radiation exposure is equivalent to more than 35 chest X-rays annually!
X-ray examinations are safe
According to the 1996 American College of Radiology publication, "Radiation Risk: A Primer," radiation exposures from diagnostic examinations are low and have decreased significantly over the years. Most X-ray procedures have had reductions in radiation exposure by factors of 2 or more in the last twenty years. In fact, advances in technology have allowed improved mammographic images while lowering average doses by a factor of 10!
X-ray examinations may reduce other risks
Judicious use of X-ray examinations leads to earlier diagnosis of many problems, allowing earlier and potentially much more effective treatment. The need for purely exploratory surgery, with its own risks and discomfort, has been sharply reduced. Although difficult to quantify, these benefits further offset the already small risk of medical radiation exposure. In many cases, there simply is no alternative to an X-ray based examination if your doctor is to properly diagnose and treat your condition.
I know that "life is a risk." Just how risky is an X-ray examination?
In 1991, B. L. Cohen and I. S. Lee estimated the health risks to the population at large of various activities, and developed a measure called "average life expectancy lost." The following table is adapted from their article in the September, 1991, issue of the journal Health Physics:
Health Risk Life Expectancy Lost:
Smoking 20 cigarettes a day - 6 years
Overweight by 15% - 2 years
Average US alcohol consumption - 1 year
All accidents - 207 days
All natural hazards (e.g., flood, earthquake) - 7 days
Occupational radiation exposure (1 rem/yr) - 51 days
Since most patients will have far less than the cumulative occupational radiation exposure listed above, their risk of radiation-induced harm is less.
Another interesting rating of relative risks, published in the 1996 American College of Radiology publication "Radiation Risk: A Primer," compares various life activities in terms of probability of actual death per year of exposure:
Activity Probability of Death per 10,000
Persons Exposed per Year
Smoking - 30
Mining - 6.0
Farming - 3.6
Driving an automobile - 2.4
Undergoing anaesthesia - 0.3
Anteroposterior view X-ray of lumbar spine - 0.06
Chest X-ray (posteroanterior & lateral) - 0.02
A single commercial airline flight - 0.002
It is reassuring to see that most usual activities of life carry a small relative risk (not true for smoking!), and that diagnostic medical X-ray examinations are on the low end of the risk profile.
What alternatives do I have?
In some cases, medical imaging procedures are available that do not involve the use of X-rays. Foremost among these newer technologies are magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound. Your doctor is familiar with the uses of these newer imaging methods, as well as with traditional X-ray based examinations. Bear in mind that, for many conditions and illnesses, standard X-ray examinations, mammography, or computed tomography (X-ray based CAT scans) are still the preferred diagnostic procedures and are the mainstays of current practice. Each illness or condition needs a particular type of evaluation -- the newest and fanciest "high tech" examination is not always the best!