More FDA Scrutiny On Medical Radiation

With a growing awareness that medical patients are being exposed to increasing amounts of unnecessary radiation, the FDA announced that it will ramp up oversight of several forms of radiation including CT scans, according to a roundup of related stories from Kaiser Health News. Here are some details:

"The amount of radiation Americans are exposed to from medical imaging has dramatically increased over the past 20 years," a senior FDA official said, according to HealthDay News/Business Week. The FDA hopes to minimize risk – including radiation-related cancers – by ensuring procedures are justified and that minimum necessary doses of radiation are delivered. HealthDay reports, "While the extent of the cancer risk is a topic of debate, most experts agree that exposure to unnecessary radiation from these devices should be reduced" (Reinberg, 2/9).