Radiation dose tops the agenda this week on AuntMinnie.com. We’re featuring a pair of articles on the topic, one of which challenges the conventional wisdom that radiation dose at any level is harmful to humans.
Our first article, by staff editor Eric Barnes, covers an emerging body of evidence indicating that low doses of radiation -- at levels similar to those found in most diagnostic radiology procedures -- have no adverse health effects in humans. Some studies even conclude that such doses could have a protective effect, both at the molecular level and in terms of reduced mortality.
It’s a controversial proposition, and it will probably take years before a scientific consensus develops. But the outcome of the debate could have major ramifications for radiology, where radiation dose has come under scrutiny in recent years.
In another story on radiation dose, staff editor Jonathan S. Batchelor writes on the work of Belgian researchers who compared radiation dose levels delivered by film-screen x-ray, computed radiography, and digital radiography. According to the group, the dose delivered by DR was one-third that of conventional film x-ray and one-half that of CR. DR also won high marks for image quality.
You’ll find the articles in our X-Ray Digital Community, at xray.auntminnie.com.
