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Are X-rays Safe?

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X-rays pass through our flesh and organs. The large calcium molecules that make up our skeleton block the path of x-rays. This results in the negative image seen here
X-rays pass through our flesh and organs. The large calcium molecules that make up our skeleton block the path of x-rays. This results in the negative image seen here 

•Did you know that falling out of bed kills 450 people a year in the US. 

•Ants claim another 30 lives and vending machines kill around 13 people; Safety is a relative term.

•An x-ray is a form of high energy radiation with a wavelength about 10,000 times shorter than that of visible light. 

•The danger with x-rays is that they can knock electrons away from atoms, creating ions; this is why x-rays are called 'ionising radiation'. 

•Ions are much more reactive than atoms and can shoot about your body damaging important molecules like DNA. 

•This can cause mutation, or even cancer, if the dose is high enough.

•But that is the key - 'if the dose is high enough.' 

•The increase in radiation your body receives during an x-ray is equivalent to the extra radiation you are exposed to during a trans-atlantic flight.

•Medical x-rays are now very safe (the technician is in greater danger than you are due to the frequency of possible exposure), and much safer than being cut open every time a doctor needs to look inside you.


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