Study: More Patients Exposed to Radiation

A new study finds that the use of diagnostic imaging -- such as PET and CT scans -- has significantly increased in recent years, potentially exposing more patients to radiation that may cause adverse health effects.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, examined information on 1-2 million patients a year from 1996 to 2010 in six health maintenance organizations throughout the nation, only some of which had diagnostic imaging, according The New York Times. Over the period of the study, they found that the amount of CT scans given to patients tripled and the number of M.R.I’s quadrupled.

“The doses are not at a level that people should really be concerned,” Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, lead author of the study and a radiologist and epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Times. “It’s rather that we need to minimize unnecessary exposures wherever possible.”

The study was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. It notes that the benefits of diagnostic imaging need to weighed against the possible harms, such as a cancer risk from radiation, according to the Times.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe medical device, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.

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