Various radiation-related actions are receiving increasing attention at all levels of government, and public opinion is being increasingly sought regarding them. Today, critically important decisions need to be made regarding the uses of radiation in the fields of medicine, industry, and the production of energy. If this book helps to enlighten that decision-making process it will have served its purpose. Sooner or later, each person who reads this book will have to make at least three choices concerning radiation uses and the exposures they entail. At some time in life, a health professional will want to make x-ray images of some part of your body.
Many people today are increasingly concerned about allowing such x rays.
A better-informed response is to realize that the dose of radiation varies widely among medical procedures and is generally less than the lifetime dose of radiation a person receives from nature. Excess medical exposures to patients and to doctors have long ago been curtailed with appropriate national and international radiation safety standards. Seek a second professional opinion, if you are not satisfied with the answer. The information in this book may help you, personally, determine whether the potential benefit is worth the very minimal and hypothetical risk. If the health-care professionals cannot adequately explain a real benefit, you might want to forego the examination at your own risk.