Dose reduction in diagnostic radiology.

Abstract

Recent editorials in the radiological journals have expressed the concern felt by all at the realisation of the fact that diagnostic radiology contributes the largest percentage of man-made radiation to the population. The knowledge that this is the case has been brought to our attention by the publication of the White Paper entitled The hazards to man of nuclear and allied radiations. One of the conclusions reached in this report is that “Those responsible for authorising the development and use of sources of ionizing radiation should be advised that the upper limit, which future knowledge may set to the total dose of extra radiation which may be received by the population as a whole, is not likely to be more than twice the dose which is already received from natural background; the recommended figure may indeed be appreciably lower than this.” The natural background dose is given as about 1 r per ten years. In the statement on the responsibilities of the medical profession in the use of ionizing radiation published by the United Nations Scientific Committee (1957) it is stated that the genetic radiation from diagnostic procedures is found to be equal to at least 100 per cent of all natural radiation in Sweden and in the U.S.A. An estimate of the minimum genetic dose from diagnostic procedures in Great Britain is given as at least 22 per cent of background (Osborn and Smith, 1956).