“What are the health risks from exposure to radiation?”
My brother has been getting x-rays frequently because of his lung condition. Can this consistent exposure to radiation cause him to have any health risks?
6 Answers
Xray exposure can have a cumulative effect. People who live in Denver get twice the exposure of those in NYC at sea level. It is three times as high for those in Leadville, Colorado due to elevation. Pilots and those fly a lot get a higher dose but not for a long exposure. Try to minimize the number of exams if possible.
Radiation induced health risks can be immediate or delayed. Immediate overexposure can cause acute radiation sickness. Chronic effects include genetic mutations & cancer. But it is important to remember that nowadays diagnostic X-rays are done by using all techniques required to minimize radiation exposure & X-rays in the diagnostic spectrum are mostly safe, but in cases where repeated X-rays are needed, the risk to benefit ratio should be considered & other diagnostic modalities other than X-ray should be considered.
Development of cancer and damage to the radiated tissue
There is no known minimum risk for X-ray dose exposure because it is more of a probability effect. The concept used is to keep X-ray exposure to as low as reasonably achievable or ALARA. It the risks versus the benefits of X Ray exposure are high, then it is better not to receive the test. Also X rays or any ionizing radiation are more harmful when received acutely compared with the same dose received chronically over a much longer time period where there is more time for dna damage to be repaired by the body.
A CXR has as much radiation as a plane flight of 90 minutes, or living in Denver at a high altitude for one day, so the answer is no.
The main health risk of radiation is cancer. Your brother’s doctors should weigh the risk of that to not knowing the current lung condition.
