Patients should not decline X-ray imaging for medically advised
procedures, physics group says. Credit: Aidan Jones via flickr
An association of physicists in the medical field has warned
patients not to decline diagnostic radiation procedures because
of perceptions that the tests may be harmful. The American
Association of Physicists in Medicine said the benefits of
diagnostic -- mostly imaging -- technology far outweighed the
risks. Machines that deliver much higher levels of radiation for
treating cancer have been the subject of media stories
uncovering improper use and accidents, and journal articles have
cautioned physicians to minimize diagnostic CT scans in
children, especially repeated ones. They have raised unfounded
fears about radiation procedures in general, the association
said. The statement touched on a long-debated topic: whether all
radiation is bad or if some of it can be tolerated without
danger. "Discussion of risks related to radiation dose from
medical imaging procedures should be accomp