Is Radiation from an X-ray Safe for My Child?
What Are X-rays?
X-rays are the most common imaging tests. They allow physicians to see bones and organs within your child’s body and are quick, painless and safe.
No radiation remains in the body once the exam is complete. Radiation is a beam that is sent only when the machine is turned on.X-ray beams, a form of radiation, pass quickly through a specific body part and strike a special film plate on the other side of that body part. A black and white image of inside the body is created on the film plate that can then be viewed by our pediatric radiologists.
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Your child will not feel the X-ray beam itself, but may feel uncomfortable or awkward because of the way he or she must sit, stand or move a body part for a few seconds while the X-ray is taken. It’s important to hold still during an X-ray because any movement can cause the image to be blurry.
Depending on which body part is being X-rayed, your child may also have a heavy apron made of lead placed on the body to help decrease the radiation exposure to areas not imaged. If a parent is with the child in the exam room while an X-ray is being taken, he or she will also be asked to wear a lead apron as an extra precaution against exposure to the X-ray beam.
How Much Radiation Is My Child Really Getting?
We are all exposed to small amounts of radiation every day from soil, rocks, building materials, air, water and sunlight. This type of radiation is called natural background radiation.
Radiation doses are measured in units called millisievert (mSv). The average amount of natural background radiation a person’s body accumulates in a year is 3 mSv. Below is a comparison of radiation exposure from various sources:
| Natural background radiation: | 3 mSv per year |
| Traveling on an airplane: | 0.04 mSv per round trip |
| Chest X-ray (2 views): | up to 0.1 mSv |
| CT scan of head: | up to 2 mSv |
Is It Safe?
Medical radiation is used in small amounts, so the amount of radiation your child will be exposed to during an imaging test is much smaller than natural radiation found in our everyday lives. However, radiation dosing is not “one size fits all.” At the Joe Buck Imaging Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, we continually strive to reduce the amount of radiation needed to diagnose and treat your child. This includes adjusting the machines according to your child’s age, weight and health problem. We follow national ALARA principles: keep radiation dose As Low As Reasonably Achievable.
For more information, visit http://www.radiologyinfo.org.
