Radiologic Technologist?

Radiologic Technologist Radiation Exposure?

• Only responses from Radiologic Technologist please. As a Radiologic Technologist you are required to wear a lead apron from radiation exposure, but are you protected 100% from ...show more

• Answer:

  Fear of radiation exposure is no reason to not become a radiologic technologist. It is VERY safe. We know how to protect ourselves. We get little if any more exposure than anybody else would just being outside or flying in an airplane. "There is no risk of acute effects from exposure from diagnostic x-ray equipment. There are threshold doses for these effects, generally a few Gy, delivered at high dose rates. Diagnostic equipment will overheat and fail long before delivering doses in this range. There is a theoretical risk of cancer from small doses of radiation, such as might be encountered by radiographers/technologists in the operation of diagnostic equipment. A few old studies show statistically significant associations between occupational exposure and cancer in radiologists. The exposures occurred many years ago, when equipment was much cruder and occupational dose limits were nonexistent. No such associations have been identified from exposures since World War II. I am not aware of any such associations for radiographers from exposure at any time. The risk of cancer is minimal to nonexistent from occupational exposures below current dose limits. Current data show that virtually all radiology personnel can perform their duties while holding their occupational doses well below the limit. The best way to insure that this occurs is for all personnel to wear their personal dose monitors correctly." Decades ago it wasn't safe like it is now. I've seen Mary B answer before, and I question her facts.