Persons in many occupations encounter radiation above normal background as a natural part of their jobs. The doses received can be up to several rem of exposure over the course of a year. Medical uses of radiation Medical uses of radiation are roughly broken into therapy and diagnosis. Therapy is primarily used for tumor killing of cancer, but in the past has been used for other treatments. Most of the dose is received in a small area of the body.
Diagnosis runs from fairly routine x rays to injections of radioactive material and imaging.
These doses can be several hundred mrem for diagnosis and up to several hundred rem locally for treatments. The physician who prescribes radiation treatments and diagnosis weighs the risk of the radiation with the benefit of the treatment. Ultimately, you are. All of the sources of radiation, other than natural, are regulated by laws passed by Congress. Like any other law, you have your right to voice your views and opinions about it.