Real and perceived risks of medical radiation exposure.

There is almost no subject that elicits greater concern and less objective understanding than that of exposure of patients to radiation accompanying diagnostic radiologic procedures. One or more of the health effects (cancer, developmental abnormalties and genetic changes) attributed to low-level exposure to radiation are frequently misinterpreted as likely consequences rather than statistical risks following radiation exposure. Even less well understood is the small magnitude of the risks accompanying radiation exposure compared with those related to activities encountered during the daily routine. For this reason, the perception of risk associated with exposure to low-level radiation is inconsistent with the reality of the risk as estimated by even the most conservative models of radiation injury.