The MSNBC homepage (msn.com) today had a link about CT scans may raise cancer risk. To a Medical Physicist, this is pretty old news. Unfortunately, for the general public, this may actually be something new. Nothing in the name of CT imply the use of X-ray, even though a chest CT is easily equivalent to hundreds of chest X-rays. Most people I know seem to understand that a Chest X-ray is somewhat harmful, and should not be repeated again and again without good reason. But if you ask people the harm of CT, they would be pretty surprised to know that a CT is as bad as hundreds of chest X-rays. I think it's a good thing that the general public learn more about the harm of CT.
Just for your information, a chest CT has a dose of 8 mSv. A chest X-ray has a dose of 0.02 mSv. The background radiation received by the general public is about 4 mSv per year, and the upper limit of occupational exposure for non-nuclear energy worker is 1 mSv.
Here's the link.
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