| X-ray (3) | Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007 1:07 pm |
The X-ray business is a funny one. Whether you're getting some pictures of your teeth or a CAT scan of some internal organs, the thought of safety is sometimes laughable. I understand that the amount and strength of the radiation entering your body isn't enough to kill you or cause any major damage. But if that's true, why are there so many safety precautions?
For instance, I find it at least slightly odd that the person administering the X-ray leaves the room during the test. They say it's for safety because they don't want any spare X-rays bouncing off the walls, shooting into their brains, and melting their souls. What about the person on the receiving end of the focused beam of radiation? Isn't anyone concerned about that person? Shouldn't they be wearing some sort of tinfoil hat or something?
The other funny thing is when the dentist lays a heavy sheet of metal across your chest right before you get an X-ray. For guys, the dentist positions the vest so it covers the "vitals" ... eh em. This is a noble idea and I applaud it greatly, but my main concern during an X-ray is the fact that the gun-shaped instrument is pointed right at my skull. I agree that having a healthy reproductive system is essential for having healthy babies, but what about a properly functioning brain? Sure my equipment still works, but now I'm too stupid to use it.
i couldn't stop laughing...very good point.
To totally ignore the humorous tone of your post, I'll try to answer your rhetorical questions:
1. But if that's true, why are there so many safety precautions?
Mostly history. X-ray machines used to have fairly high radiation levels, so the precautions were a pretty good idea, and I would suspect that regulations were created to require them. As the better machines were developed with low dosage, the regulations were probably not repealed. Also, remember people making regulations and especially laws are not necessarily experts in the field to which they apply. A good example is all the cell phone laws that require you to use a headset if you use a cell phone while driving. Every study on the topic that I've heard of came to the conclusion that the headset does not make much if any difference. But I digress.
2. The person administering the X-ray leaves the room. Even if each dose is small, we are affected by total exposure over time, and a radiologist is therefore at much more risk than someone getting a couple X-rays every few years.
3. I think the people wearing the tinfoil hats are too worried about other things to bother getting X-rays.
4. There's a good reason they're called vitals... I'm pretty sure I don't need much in the way of higher brain function to get effective use out of them...
(By the way, I have the solution to the hot dog problem, but it'll take a while to post, and I need a way to include mathematical symbols like an integral... little help?)
3. Very true. It's usually something about aliens and mind control.
Integrals (∫) and other symbols can be shown with help from this site.