A recent study revealed that children are at a higher risk of developing blood cancers after getting exposed to radiation from medical imaging.
Researchers revealed that estimated that 1 in 10 pediatric blood cancer cases could be associated with radiation from imaging scans.
A radiologist at the University of California, San Francisco and lead researcher Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman stated, “While medical imaging can be lifesaving, it’s crucial to minimize radiation exposure to protect children’s long-term health.”
For the study, researchers tracked nearly 3.7 million children born between 1996 and 2016 across six U.S. and Canadian health care systems. Up to 3,000 cases of blood cancers were diagnosed during the study.
CT scans posed the highest risk because of their increased radiation levels. Children who already had one or two head CTs were nearly 80% increased risk of cancer, which tripled with more scans.
On the contrary, simple X-rays contributed to a very small number of cases.
To reduce the risk of blood cancer in children, health officials advised minimise unnecessary imaging and using safer alternatives, with minimal radiation.
