How to Reduce Your Exposure to Harmful Radiation
By webteam • Oct 26th, 2009 • Category: Health E-HintA century ago, the only way to detect internal or serious injuries was to perform exploratory surgery, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Division of Mammography Quality and Radiation Programs. Today, most people are simply x-rayed or viewed through computed tomography (CT) technology. However, when you undergo these tests you’re exposed to potentially harmful radiation.
Exposure to radiation can increase your chances of developing cancer… cataracts… or skin burns and irritations.
How can you reduce your exposure without taking risks with your health? Try these suggestions:
- Determine if the x-ray is absolutely necessary. Your doctor may recommend lower-risk assessments to learn more about your condition.
- Sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks. The x-ray radiation exposure may be so small that the greater risk comes from not detecting your health concern.
- Request a protective shield to be used during your x-ray. Lead aprons can be placed over the body to help block out exposure.
- Ask about the film for the x-rays. Some different speeds of film develop faster so they reduce the amount of radiation needed to complete the image. Also, digital imaging may require considerable less radiation exposure than film.
webteam
Questions for webteam? | All posts by
webteam
Loading ...