Maintaining a proper perspective of risk associated with radiation exposure.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this article are to provide the reader with (a) a brief discussion of actual, perceived, and acceptable risks associated with radiation exposure; (b) a basic review of radiation protection units and a discussion as to how these units are used to estimate risk associated with occupational radiation exposure; (c) a summary of radiation doses required for specific human biologic responses and a comparison of relative doses encountered in a variety of clinical situations; and (d) a practical approach to discussing relative risks associated with medical radiation exposures when patients inquire.