Sevenfold Radiation Exposure to U.S. Population from Medical Procedures

In 2006, people living in the United States were exposed to more than seven times as much ionizing radiation from medical procedures as was the case in the early 1980s, according to a new report on population exposure.

The report was released March 3, 2009, by the [U.S.] National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP; Bethesda, MD, USA) at its annual meeting in Bethesda, MD, USA. In 2006, medical exposure constituted nearly half of the total radiation exposure of the U.S. population from all sources.

The increase was chiefly a result of the growth in the use of medical imaging procedures, explained Dr. Kenneth R. Kase, senior vice president of NCRP and chairman of the scientific committee that produced the report. "The increase was due mostly to the higher utilization of CT [computed tomography] and nuclear medicine. These two imaging modalities alone contributed 36% of the total radiation exposure and 75% of the medical radiation exposure of the U.S. population.” The number of CT scans and nuclear medicine procedures performed in the United States during 2006 was estimated to be 67 million and 18 million, respectively.

Background radiation, which in 2006 contributed fully half of the total exposure, comes from natural radiation in soil and rocks, radon gas, which seeps into homes and other buildings, plus radiation from space and radiation sources that are found naturally within the human body. Other small contributors of exposure to the U.S. population included consumer products and activities, industrial and research uses, and occupational tasks.

NCRP is working with some of its partners like the American College of Radiology (ACR; Reston, VA, USA), World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland), and others to address radiation exposure resulting from the significant growth in medical imaging and to ensure that referrals for procedures such as CT and nuclear medicine are based on objective, medically relevant criteria (e.g., ACR appropriateness criteria).

Related Links:
[U.S.] National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements