Safety Concerns about Medical Imaging

Medical imaging, including X-rays and CT scans, let doctors see what's happening inside the body in great detail. More than 70 million such images are snapped annually, often with life-saving results.
But, with newer technologies, have come more powerful doses of radiation. The FDA is investigating overdoses from diagnostic radiation. Diagnostic radiation is the same energy used in mammograms and X-rays. In Los Angeles, more than 300 patients suffered radiation poisoning, after having CT scans.
"There is a great potential for over-exposure to radiation, specifically in CT," says Texas Health Dallas medical physicist Messica Clements. "Exposure to radiation can increase your chance of cancer by 1 percent. So one in every 100 people could have an increased chance."
Clements monitors the scanners at Texas Health Dallas for accurate dosing to make sure patients aren't exposed to any more radiation than absolutely necessary.
In fact, medical radiation may cause 29,000 new cancers a year and 14,500 deaths, according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
A patient should discuss the benefits, as well as the potential for side effects with their doctors before any imaging is done.