|
|
Article: Getting burned: radiation exposure from CT scans.(Prescription for Change)(computed tomography)
- Article from:
- Women's Health Activist
- Article date:
- July 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 National Women's Health Network. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Do you know that radiation exposure from one "CAT" scan can be equivalent to the dose received by some survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bombing? No? Chances are, neither does your doctor.
Everyone is exposed to some radiation from rocks, radon, cosmic rays, food, and water. The average background radiation exposure from natural radiation in the U.S. is about 3 millisieverts (mSv). (Radiation doses are commonly described in millisieverts [mSv] or milligrays [mGy], both measures of the energy absorbed by body tissues.) Proximity to power plants, computer screens, TVs, and other electronics also exposes us to small amounts of radiation. (1) But, more than 3/4 of ...