X-rays are a form of high-energy electromagnetic wave known as ionizing radiation, meaning they possess enough energy to remove electrons from atoms and molecules. This process can potentially damage cellular DNA, which is the underlying cause for the slight increase in cancer risk associated with exposure. Since the effect of radiation is considered cumulative over a person’s lifetime, minimizing unnecessary exposure is a prudent step toward managing one’s overall radiation burden. Medical imaging accounts for a significant portion of the average person’s annual exposure beyond natural background sources. The focus on personal action is centered on being an informed participant in healthcare decisions and understanding the protective measures used in both medical and non-medical environments.
Exercising Patient Rights in Medical Settings
The most significant source of controllable X-ray exposure for the general public is diagnostic medical imaging. Before undergoing a procedure, a patient has the right to ask questions to ensure the exam is justified and optimized for their specific situation. You should always inquire about the necessity of the exam and understand how the results will directly influence your treatment plan. If the procedure is for routine screening or a non-urgent condition, ask your physician if there are alternative imaging methods that do not use ionizing radiation. Options such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound use powerful magnets and sound waves, respectively, and do not contribute to your cumulative radiation dose.
If an X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan is deemed necessary, inform the technologist about any recent X-ray procedures you have had, including the approximate date and body part scanned. This information helps the medical team avoid unnecessary repeat scans and allows them to apply the lowest possible radiation dose that still provides a clear diagnostic image. Some healthcare facilities maintain a radiation dose tracking system, and you are within your rights to ask if your dose is being recorded and monitored.
Utilizing the Core Principles of Radiation Safety
Radiation protection professionals use the guiding principle known as ALARA, which stands for “As Low As Reasonably Achievable,” to minimize exposure. This philosophy is based on three foundational strategies: Time, Distance, and Shielding. While these principles are primarily implemented by the medical staff, understanding them can empower you to ask about safety measures during your procedure.
Time
Time refers to reducing the duration of exposure to the radiation source. For a patient, this means the medical team should use modern equipment and proper technique to complete the imaging procedure as quickly as possible. Faster scans result in less time the X-ray beam is active, directly translating to a lower dose for the patient.
Distance
Distance involves increasing the separation between a person and the radiation source, which is an extremely effective way to reduce dose. Radiation intensity decreases dramatically with distance, following the inverse square law; for example, doubling the distance reduces the dose to one-fourth of the original amount. This is why the technician steps behind a protective barrier during an X-ray exposure, and you should ensure only the body part being imaged is in the direct beam path.
Shielding
Shielding involves placing a dense material, typically lead or a lead-equivalent composite, between the person and the radiation source. During a procedure, you can request lead shielding, such as a lead apron or thyroid collar, be placed over any sensitive areas of your body that are not required for the diagnostic image. These barriers absorb the X-rays, preventing them from reaching organs like the reproductive organs or the thyroid gland.
Minimizing Exposure in Daily Life and Travel
X-ray sources outside of medical necessity are generally a much smaller contributor to overall exposure but still warrant informed awareness. Security screening at airports is a common concern, but the dose from modern screening devices is minimal. Many airports in the United States use millimeter-wave scanners, which employ non-ionizing radio waves and do not use X-rays at all. Older backscatter X-ray scanners deliver an extremely low dose, often estimated to be thousands of times less than a single chest X-ray. If you are concerned about any type of scanner, you have the option to request a physical pat-down, which involves no radiation exposure.
A more significant environmental source of exposure during travel is cosmic radiation, which increases at higher altitudes. Frequent fliers and aircrew receive a higher dose of cosmic radiation because there is less atmospheric shielding at cruising altitude. A single cross-country flight can expose a person to an amount of radiation that is hundreds of times higher than a single airport security scan. For those who fly often, this is an environmental factor to be aware of, although the dose remains well below occupational limits for radiation workers. Consumer products are highly regulated, and the X-ray exposure from sources like television screens or older cathode-ray tube monitors is negligible or non-existent in modern devices.