CT Scans and the Risk for Children

CT Scans can be of great risk to you child and here are some facts you should know.

Alone in the USA 1.6 million children receive head and abdomen CT Scans and approx 1500 of them die later on in life of radiation induced Cancer.            

Computer Tomography or CT Scans are calibrated for adults, and this is 2 to 6 times the radiation needed to get a clear picture in children. Unfortunately the X-Rays are not always turned down and therefore the children are exposed to unnecessary cancer causing radiation.                         

CT Scans on children are used to search for kidney stones, appendicitis and cancer. The reason children react more severe is because they have more rapidly dividing cells which are more susceptible to radiation damage, and children live long enough for cancer cells to develop. 

The dose of a CT Scan on the chest is between 10 and 20 mammograms and you should avoid that cancer causing radiation unless you or your child’s life is depending on it. 

An alternative to CT Scans is an MRI which is much safer and can show similar results. Again, use only if necessary and with caution but to this state of knowledge MRI’s are not known to cause any increase of cancer.