[ RadSafe ] Low dose x-ray exams does not increase cancer risk in kids

[David Englehart]

Health Imaging (6/28) reported, "Children exposed to low doses of
x-ray radiation do not exhibit higher rates of cancer, a valuable
empirical insight that can supplement theoretic radiation models and
inform pediatricians, according to a large German study published in
the July issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology." For the
study, Gaël P. Hammer, from the Institute for Medical Biostatistics,
Epidemiology and Informatics at Johannes Gutenberg University Medical
Center in Mainz, Germany, and colleagues, "reviewed the records of
78,527 children who underwent x-ray exams between 1976 and 2003 at a
large academic hospital in Munich." The researchers found, "A total of
68 cancers were identified in the study cohort, yielding a
standardized incident ratio of 0.97 based on the population-based
estimate that 70 patients would experience cancer."
http://www.healthimaging.com/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=28491

David Englehart MS
Medical Physicist
The Medical Physics Group Ltd.
St. Louis, MO