A new report from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements notes that Americans are exposed to seven times more radiation today than they were in 1980.

 

The report raises concerns that doctors are ordering too many radiation scans and are raising risks for patients.

 

“The increase was due mostly to the higher utilization of computed tomography and nuclear medicine” scans. These two imaging modalities alone contribute 36% of the total radiation exposure and 75% of the medical radiation exposure of the US population,” said council Senior Vice President Kenneth Kase.

 

Medical imaging procedures accounted for nearly half of the US population’s total radiation exposure in 2006, according to the findings. Other sources of radiation include radon gas, natural radiation in soil and rocks, and radiation from industrial activities.

 

Of course, X-rays and CT scans help diagnose pneumonia, heart disease, brain injuries and all sort of other ailments that can kills us. But the radiation that comes with them, also increases our chances of developing cancer later. Also, when analyzing the number of CT scans performed by doctors who aren’t radiologists in their offices, an analysis of Medicare data by the American College of Radiology found a spike of 383 percent.

 

“Nonradiologist providers often lack even basic radiation safety training and may not be aware of potential repercussions to patients of ordering and often administering high volumes of scans,” the American College of Radiology says in a statement.

 

The organization urges patients to ask questions before they undergo scans to make sure they’re not getting an unnecessary dose of radiation and not shelling out money for a test they don’t need.

 

“You should always ask ‘Doctor, what are you going to do with the results of this test? How are they going to change your management of me?’” says Dr. William Lewis, chief of clinical cardiology at MetroHealth Medical Center.