Exposure to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation from Medical Imaging Procedures

The growing use of imaging procedures in the United States has raised concerns about exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation in the general population.

We identified 952,420 nonelderly adults (between 18 and 64 years of age) in five health care markets across the United States between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007. Utilization data were used to estimate cumulative effective doses of radiation from imaging procedures and to calculate population-based rates of exposure, with annual effective doses defined as low ( 3 to 20 mSv), high (> 20 to 50 mSv), or very high (> 50 mSv).