Are X-rays harmful?

When we hear the word radiation, we often associate it with the Hollywood version with a villain or arms dealer purchasing black market nuclear cores for weapons. Often its inside a suitcase and it looks like a metal ball. Then, one of the henchmen will open the case, and wave a device over it that clicks when it gets close to the ball to signify something dangerous. Actually, radiation is just energy in the form of waves that travel through space. This includes radiowaves, microwaves, visible light, UV light and x-rays. The ground actually emits low level radiation all the time.

X-rays are just a form of radiation that are used in machines to take pictures of your body. Much like superman’s powers, x-rays can see through your clothes and skin to reveal the bones. The amount of radiation that you get exposed to is much less than you think. A typical x-ray exposes you to the equivalent radiation of a cross country trip in an airplane. But what about other forms of medical imaging? A CT scan is a specialized X-ray machine that produces images with much more detail of your internal organs as well as your bones. The amount of radiation you get exposed to from a CT scan is similar to the amount of radiation you are exposed to at home in a year. This is from radon gas that occurs naturally, and that’s just from you being at home. At least with a CT scan, you can often find out what’s causing your symptoms. The amount of radiation from a mammogram is so low, that it averages the amount naturally produced by our own bodies in a year. Many of the medical imaging exams today use less radiation than they did 10 years ago. Advances in technology have made it possible to deliver better image quality with less radiation exposure. Better yet, there is no radiation risk with Ultrasounds or MRI.

Just remember, these exams are only ordered when necessary and would offer more benefit to you than the potential risks in the future. If you have any questions, be sure to talk it over with your physician.