RADIATION HAZARDS IN DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY

THE MOST pressing current problem in pediatric radiology is the reduction of hazard to the patient from exposure to ionizing radiations. Pediatric radiologists must become deeply interested in the problems of better protection for their patients because fetuses, infants and children are the most vulnerable of all humans to injury by ionizing radiation, for several reasons. First, young patients are all potential parents. Second, they have the longest expectancy of survival which provides longer life spans for the development of leukemia and for additional, possibly excessive, irradiation. Third, their reticulum cells are more abundant and probably more labile, which makes them more prone to wild growth (leukemia). Fourth, in routine radiologic procedures relatively larger parts of their smaller bodies are usually exposed. Fifth, frightened youngsters often move during exposures and additional exposures must be made to get satisfactory films. Sixth, in small patients the gonads are nearer the central rays in all types of examinations, save when the gonads are exposed directly in adults. Seventh, currently the bones of younger children contain 3 to 4 times more radioactive strontium-90 per gram of calcium than the bones of adults.