X Rays

[undercover]

I wonder if anybody can help me out on this ? in the west we are told by our doctors that too many x rays is dangerous, I was only allowed so many a year, but here everytime I go to the hospital it's an x ray, with my problem (cheast pain) I have been to many hospitals trying to get it sorted as the doctors just don't seem to be able to agree on the cause, so everytime I go to a new doctor it's more x rays, I worry now that the x rays are doing harm themselves, thanks in advance for any help on this matter.

[Tywais]

The average radiation dose for chest x-rays is from 8-20 mrem (milli roentgen). The average exposure from natural sources over one year is around 360 mrem. Compare with the amount of x-rays from a coast to coast (US) flight of 5mrem, it is a very small risk increase. So everytime you take a long distance flight (transpacific/transatlantic) you get the equivalent of a chest x-ray. The health risk per x-ray is equivalent to smoking 6 cigarettes.

[Jamie]

One x ray will give you about a 50 millirem dose of radiation. Five-thousand millirems of radiation will raise your risk of cancer by about 0.3% or 300 x rays will raise your cancer rate by 1% (From x ray health risks http://www.school-for-champions.com/health/xrays.htm)

[londonthai]

get all your x-rays from hospitals and carry them with you on your next visit.

and if the doctors still can't agree on the cause of your pain and can't do nothing except more painkillers - try an alternative medicine

[Sheryl]

Also, INSIST on proper shielding (lead apron covering what does not need to be filmed. I find that in Thailand they are rather careless about it.

[Ijustwannateach]

As a side comment, considering Tywais' remarks about X-rays related to cigarettes, a full pack of cigarettes a day gives you a radiation exposure EQUAL to that of one chest X-ray. That's right, the cigarette smoke is radioactive- for some reason, most western brands contain a high degree of polonium and other heavy elements- something about the nitrate fertilisers used. Eastern European tobacco farming doesn't use the same kind of fertiliser and appears to be less radioactive (well, if you don't include the Chernobyl effect). That's in addition to the risks of smoking.