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The FDA provides this A-Z list of regulated radiation-emitting products & procedures:.
Consumers have an important role in reducing radiation risks from medical X-rays. FDA recommends these steps:
Ask your health care professional how an X-ray will help. How will it help find out what's wrong or determine your treatment? Ask if there are other procedures that might be lower risk but still allow a good assessment or treatment for your medical situation.
Tell the X-ray technologist in advance if you are, or might be, pregnant.
Ask if a protective shield can be used. If you or your children are getting an X-ray, ask whether a lead apron or other shield should be used.
Ask your dentist if he/she uses the faster (E or F) speed film for X-rays. It costs about the same as the conventional D speed film and offers similar benefits with a lower radiation dose. Using digital imaging detectors instead of film further reduces radiation dose.
Know your X-ray history. "Just as you may keep a list of your medications with you when visiting the doctor, keep a list of your imaging records, including dental X-rays," says Ohlhaber. When an X-ray is taken, fill out the card with the date and type of exam, referring physician, and facility and address where the images are kept. Show the card to your health care professionals to avoid unnecessary duplication of X-rays of the same body part. Keep a record card for everyone in your family.
As in many aspects of medicine, there are both benefits and risks associated with the use of computed tomography or CT. The main risks are those associated with:
Also see, "What are the Radiation Risks from CT".
If you have no symptoms of illness but are considering getting a whole-body CT screening exam, you may be thinking either or both of the following:.
What you may not realize is that getting a whole-body CT screening exam may not accomplish either of these goals. In particular, an abnormal finding may not be a serious finding at all. And a normal finding may be inaccurate. We will consider these one at a time below, but before we do, the good news is that, if you have no symptoms of illness, the probability is high that there is nothing seriously wrong with you--and this is true without your ever getting a whole-body CT screening exam.
Should you be screened? Like any other medical procedure, there are risks involved. Before undergoing this exam, be sure to research all the issues.
Consider further that the FDA has never approved CT for screening any part of the body for any specific disease, let alone for screening the whole body when there are no specific symptoms of disease at all. No manufacturer has submitted data to FDA to support the safety and efficacy of screening claims for whole-body CT screening.
Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP) Centers are located in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
Arizona
Molly Deleon
Manager RESEP and Outreach Programs
Mountain Park Health Centers
2702 N. 3rd Street, Suite 4020
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Telephone: 602-323-3271
Facsimile: 602-323-3496
E-mail: mdeleon@mphc-az.com
Colorado
Teresa A. Coons, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center
Saccomanno Research Institute
2530 N. 8th Street, Suite 100
Grand Junction, Colorado 81501
Telephone: 970-255-1898
Facsimile: 970-244-6115
E-mail: tcoons@stmarygj.com
Nevada
Thomas J. Hunt, M.D.
Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Nevada School of Medicine
2410 Fire Mesa Street, Suite 180
Las Vegas, Nevada 89128
Telephone: 702-992-6887
Facsimile: 702-992-6880
Nevada RESEP website: www.unr.edu/med/community/resep/
Stephanie Page
Nevada RESEP Project
Department of Family and Community Medicine
University of Nevada School of Medicine
2410 Fire Mesa Street, Suite 180
Las Vegas, Nevada 89128
Telephone: 702-992-6887
Facsimile: 702-992-6880
E-mail: spage@unr.edu
New Mexico
Douglas Zang M.D., J.D.
Medical Director
Navajo Area RESEP
Northern Navajo Medical Center
PO Box 160
Shiprock, NM 87420
Telephone: 505-368-6700
Facsimile: 505-368-7011
E-mail: douglas.zang@ihs.gov
Karen Mulloy, D.O., MSCH
Co-Director
Program in Occupational and Environmental Health
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
MSC 10 5550
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
Telephone: 505-272-4027
Facsimile: 505-272-5958
E-mail: kmulloy@salud.unm.edu
Elizabeth Kocher
Program Manager
New Mexico RESEP
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
2325 Camino de Salud NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
Telephone: 505-272-5880
Facsimile: 505-272-5958
E-mail: ekocher@salud.unm.edu
Utah
Rebecca Barlow, Program Director
Dixie Regional Medical Center
544 South 400 East
St. George, Utah 84770
Telephone: 435-688-5990
Facsimile: 435-688-5999
E-mail: dxbbarlo@IHC.com
Carolyn Rasmussen, Case Manager
Dixie Regional Medical Center
544 South 400 East
St. George, Utah 84770
Telephone: 435-688-5990
Facsimile: 435-688-5999
E-mail: dxcrasmu@IHC.com
Donna Singer, CEO, Project Director
Program Director
Utah Navajo Health System, Inc.
P.O. Box 130
Montezuma Creek, Utah 54534
Telephone: 435-651-3291
Facsimile: 435-651-3642
E-mail: dsinger@starband.net
Luci Begay, RESEP Coordinator
Utah Navajo Health Systems
PO Box 130
Montezuma Creek, Utah 84534
Telephone: 435-651-3291
Facsimile: 435-651-3642
E-mail: lvl_begay@yahoo.com
Today there are many sources of information about medical devices and procedures including information on the Internet from health care organizations, medical centers, and consumer organizations. One accurate source of information about the risks and benefits of the product is patient labeling prepared by the manufacturer and reviewed by the HHS Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Patient labeling is available for many of the devices listed on the "Recently Approved Devices" page http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfTopic/MDA/mda-list.cfm?list=1.