According to a report released March 3rd by the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) and Measurements, in 2006, Americans were exposed to more than seven times the ionizing radiation than in the early 1980s. Medical exposure comprised almost half of the total radiation exposure.

"CT and nuclear medicine alone contributed three-quarters of the medical radiation exposure of the U.S. population," said Dr. Kenneth R. Kase, SVP NCRP and chair of the scientific committee that produced the report.

The report Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United States documented percentages for each type of medical radiation: CT, 24%; nuclear medicine, 12%; interventional fluoroscopy 7%; and conventional radiography fluoroscopy 5%. The report states that during 2006, the number of CT scans alone reached 67 million.

What makes up the remaining percentages? Much of the exposure comes as background radiation from natural geological sources, radon gas found in buildings and radiation from space. A minute amount stems from radiation sources naturally occurring in the human body or from consumer products, industrial use or occupations.

The full report may be purchased from www.ncrppublications.org.

Read a related story here:
https://www.dotmed.com/news/story/9293

More Industry Headlines