X-ray Radiation and Children: What do you need to know?
Author: Austin Stanfel
Cancer: a dreadful, alarming word that has the power to run chills down our spine. Hundreds of people suffer from various types of cancer worldwide, and the number is increasing. So, yes, it does make our blood cold to hear that word. After all, people are DYING!
Recently, my dentist asked me to get an OPG, dental X-ray, to find out why I have extreme sensitivity in one of my molars. I had an OPG last year, and for the record, I have also had various spinal x-rays in the past. So I was quite hesitant when I walked into the hospital for my OPG; x-rays are known to cause cancer. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that they can become a cause of cancer.
So with an unsure mindset, I did go through the X-ray. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about the radiation levels, or how much radiation I was exposed to during the X-ray, and most importantly, how does this radiation affect my children?
The radiation levels for adults are not exactly the same as for children. It is not always necessary to make your child go through several X-ray examinations during a short period of time. The graph below demonstrates the amount of radiation that infiltrates the body during various X-rays.
So should we let our children get X-rays? If so, what amount of X-rays can they safely get?
Before we go any further, let’s have a look at the following chart that illustrates the daily radiation exposure.
What do you gather by looking at the above images? Should children be exposed to X-ray radiation? According to research studies, children should not be exposed to X-ray radiation. Why? Because, young bodies are at higher risk of manifesting cancerous cells than mature bodies. In addition, children are naturally more sensitive to radiation than adults. It is safe to say that increased exposure to x-ray radiation can increase the risks of cancer in children.
What if my child needs to get an X-ray?
Most modern X-ray equipment has settings that make it easy to adjust the dosage for children. For that, it is extremely crucial you provide complete health information about the child to the radiologist or whoever is in charge of the procedure. Children absorb radiation every day through various natural and artificial sources. For example, when they play outdoors with commercial playground equipment, they get ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The natural sources of radiation are usually non-ionizing and therefore do not cause the most harm. However, X-ray radiation is ionizing, so you must take extreme safety measures while exposing your child to such radiation. There are also many new commercial playground equipment designs that include built-in shades that protect against 98% of UV rays.
Talk to your child’s paediatrician before the X-ray to ensure that he does not get more than the appropriate dose. See the body exposure charts below to understand radiation exposure through various X-rays.
Here’s body exposure chart 2.
Does your child get X-rays often? Are you aware of all the risks involved with X-ray radiation in children? Do not forget to share your experience and thoughts with us through our comment section below.