To the Point
Medical Radiation: Are Americans Getting Too Much of a Good Thing?
Since long before the Fukushima nuclear-plant disaster, doctors and others have been alarmed by Americans' increased exposure to radiation. But Japan's nuclear disaster has reawakened fear of the invisible enemy that's also used to discover diseases and save human lives.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readSince long before the Fukushima nuclear-plant disaster, doctors and others have been alarmed by Americans' increased exposure to radiation. But Japan's nuclear disaster has reawakened fear of the invisible enemy that's also used to discover diseases and save human lives. Even radiologists say Americans are getting too much of a good thing, but not from fallout, airport scanners or cell phones. Doctors are ordering seven times more radiation scans than they were 30 years ago, while diagnoses of life-threatening conditions have hardly risen at all. Are so many scans really needed for medicine or to avoid lawsuits, pay back investments in expensive machines and satisfy the demands of patients?
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The full episode
2 of 3The Use and Abuse of Radiation- 0:00Thousands Take to the Streets in Syria, Troops Respond with Violence
- 7:42Medical Radiation: Are Americans Getting Too Much of a Good Thing?You’re reading this
- 44:57The Paradox of the Dropping Unemployment Rate