Radiation

Rx for Change: CT Scan Safety

By Charlea T. Massion, MD, and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Sep 1, 2012 | Comments Off on Rx for Change: CT Scan Safety

Although CT (pronounced “cat”) scans may sound warm and fuzzy, these three-dimensional X-rays expose people to very high doses of radiation. A chest CT exposes patients to more than 400 times the radiation dose than a regular chest X-ray.

Breast Cancer Risks and the Environment: So Much We Don’t Know

By Rachel Walden | May 1, 2012 | Comments Off on Breast Cancer Risks and the Environment: So Much We Don’t Know

A new IOM report reviews evidence on breast cancer and the environment, explains the difficulties of studying environmental factors for breast cancer risk, and recommends future research along with ways to reduce breast cancer risk.

Traveling by Air? Go for the Grope!

By Charlea T. Massion, MD, and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | Jan 22, 2011 | Comments Off on Traveling by Air? Go for the Grope!

Whose silly idea was it to start X-raying people along with the baggage at airports? Most of the media coverage of airport security scanners has focused on privacy issues, but we’re far more concerned about possible health risk: frequent flyers may be racking up increased cancer risk along with their miles, because of radiation exposure.

Getting Burned: Radiation Exposure from CT Scans

By Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD | May 1, 2006 | Comments Off on Getting Burned: Radiation Exposure from CT Scans

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.