Testimonials

Right and Wrong in terms of Radiation

Nuclear medicine uses very small amounts of radioactive materials, called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers, to diagnose and treat disease.

The radiation risk involved in these procedures is very low compared with the potential benefits. There are no known long-term adverse side effects from nuclear medicine procedures, which have been performed for more than 50 years. Allergic reactions may occur but are extremely rare and usually mild.

What is radiation?

Radiation is simply a type of energy. The most familiar form of radiation is visible light, like that produced from the sun or a light bulb. Other form of radiation, such as X-rays and gamma rays, are employed in a number of beneficial applications, including medicine.

Everyday Activities	Radiation Doses
Watching television	.01 mSv/year
Average annual exposure from breathing radon gas	2 mSv
Tobacco products (amount for a smoker’s lungs from 20 cigarettes a day)	53mSv/year
Medical Imaging
Medical chest X-ray (one film)	0.1mSv
Nuclear medicine thyroid scan	0.14 mSv
Full set of dental X-rays	0.4 mSv/year
Nuclear medicine lung scan	2 mSv/

Natural radiation exposure comes from the earth in rocks and soil and from outer space in the form of cosmic rays. A small amount of radioactive material even exists naturally in our bodies. Every year, each person is exposed to this natural radiation and radiation from a variety of other sources, including household smoke detectors and color television sets. Air travel increases exposure to cosmic radiation due to the higher altitudes and less atmospheric shielding.

Naturally occurring background radiation and modern activities such as watching TV and flying in an airplane all contribute to a lifetime exposure that is only slightly increased by medical imaging.