Comments on: X-ray http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/ The personal web presence of David Hosier Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:12:12 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dave http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/#comment-1540 Dave Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:44:11 +0000 http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/#comment-1540 3.  Very true.  It's usually something about aliens and mind control.  Integrals (∫) and other symbols can be shown with help from <a href="http://www.htmlhelp.com/reference/html40/entities/symbols.html">this site</a>. 3.  Very true.  It's usually something about aliens and mind control. 

Integrals (∫) and other symbols can be shown with help from this site.

]]> By: Rich http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/#comment-1536 Rich Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:51:18 +0000 http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/#comment-1536 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  As the better machines were developed with low dosage, the regulations were probably not repealed.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?) 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?)

]]> By: Wendy http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/#comment-1533 Wendy Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:08:48 +0000 http://ddhr.org/2007/01/24/x-ray/#comment-1533 i couldn't stop laughing...very good point. i couldn't stop laughing...very good point.

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