FDA investigates risk of CT scans

A meeting was called by the FDA taking opinions from scientists concerned about the effects the CT scan might have on patients. The amount of CT scans increase in medical patients has cause radiation exposure by seven times since 1980. The American Cancer society and American college of radiology support CT scans on healthy patients. Some people feel the risk outweights the benefits that the scan has over time. Because of talk of risk of radiation, the FDA is asking for information from manufactures to identify the effectiveness. Due to companies request for FDA apporval, FDA has the chose to whether or not to allow them to scan a large number of patients. Government experts recently sent urgent warnings about the risk of having a CT scan for colon cancer which in such scans can send radiation equal to 400 chest X-rays. The American college of gastroenterology recomends examinations using a felixable tube with a camera on it.













Given warnings from FDA recently from government workers, I would say when having a CT scan done, you should be questioning your saftey and asking if its completely necessary. The American Cancer society and American college of radiology feel its ok when the patient is healthy enough which shows that it may be effective for some patients who have no other option and feel safe enough to take a scan. But if risk is not what patients are looking to do, The American college of gastroenterology uses a camera on a tube which sounds safer so I say why not be safe then sorry. More investigations are most likely going to take place and will allow more information about CT scans to be released to the public allowing everyone to know the risks and procedures needed to take a CT scan in safety.