Safety issues: whole-body airport scanners
January 18, 2010
On January, the 8th, an article appeared in Diagnostic Imaging, which analyzes the safety issues concerning whole-body airport scanners. Since the attempted attack inside an airplane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit last December, most airports are planning to install whole-body scanners to scan passengers. However, not much is really known about the health risks.
You can read more about the research conducted so far, in the following two articles:
- http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/experts-radiation-fears-full-body-scans-unfounded/story?id=9476542&page=1
- http://arxiv.org/abs/0910.5294
Cancer mortality in Europe is declining…
January 8, 2010
In the European Union, mortality rates for all cancers fell by 10% in men and 8% in women. Declines were more significant throughout Europe in populations ages 35 to 44, at 25% for men and 20% for women, according to a report published online in the Annals of Oncology (November 30, 2009).
The researchers attributed adoption of standard therapeutic protocols to reducing mortality from Hodgkin’s lymphomas, leukemias, and testicular cancers. They also believe that advancements in integrated treatments have reduced breast, colorectal, ovarian, and prostate cancer mortality.
CT perfusion and radiation poisoning
December 9, 2009
Stroke imaging by CT perfusion has exposed more than 200 patients to radiation poisoning in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles only. But this is just an example of a problem emerging in many medical centers. This has led the FDA authorities to issue a set of preemptive recommendations for the use of CT perfusion. The rapid developments of CT imaging in the last couple of years has led to a significant increase in CT scans, sometimes without taking into account the risks associated to radiation. For more information, take a look at the following links:
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/display/article/113619/1491688
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/display/article/113619/1475485
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/display/article/113619/1491848
