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A chest x-ray is about 5x less radiation exposure then a transatlantic flight.[1] 1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ionising-radiation-dose-compari

A chest x-ray is about 5x less radiation exposure then a transatlantic flight.[1] 1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ionising-radiation-dose-comparisons/ionising-radiation-dose-comparisons https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ionising-radiatio...

sosilkj 7y ago
I think that is an interesting comparison but I'm not sure it's really applicable. A brain MRI can take up to 45 minutes or so. To be honest, I'm doubtful you could image someone's entire brain in detail via X-ray (as the article seems to imply) by using the sort of "one-and-done" X-ray normally used to look for run-of-the-mill bronchial infections, etc.
- klipt 7y ago
  Right, the 3D equivalent is a CT scan which is a much higher radiation dose than a regular x-ray. On average every 1000 CT scans done causes one new case of cancer.
  - stilley2 7y ago
    Source?
- mattkrause 7y ago
  A brain CT doesn't take 45 minutes though--and a brain MRI doesn't use x-rays.
ebg13 7y ago
> A chest x-ray is about 5x less radiation exposure then a transatlantic flight.[1] The more important measure is CT, not flat x-ray.
FriendlyNormie 7y ago
Let’s assume this new X-ray technique is not actually an ordinary X-ray but really is a modification to a CT scan, since otherwise there’s no reason for them to compare it to an MRI. A head CT scan delivers 40 mGy of radiation to an adult brain. The dose of background radiation the average human body gets per year in the US is 3.6 mGy. The average adult brain is 1400 cubic centimeters. The average adult body is 62000 cubic centimeters. 1400/62000 = 0.02258. So the brain is actually only exposed to 2.258% of 3.6 mGy of background radiation per year, which is 0.081288 mGy per year. 40/0.081288 = 492. This means a head CT scan is equivalent to 492 years worth of background radiation blasted into the brain in the span of 10 minutes. A transatlantic flight exposes your entire body to 0.1 mGy of which your brain only receives 0.002258 mGy. 0.002258/0.081288 = 0.028, and 0.028*365 = 10.22. This means a transatlantic flight exposes your brain to 10 days worth of background radiation over the span of 20 hours.
Cantbekhan 7y ago
Always relevant http://xkcd.com/radiation/ http://xkcd.com/radiation/

sosilkj 7y ago

I think that is an interesting comparison but I'm not sure it's really applicable. A brain MRI can take up to 45 minutes or so. To be honest, I'm doubtful you could image someone's entire brain in detail via X-ray (as the article seems to imply) by using the sort of "one-and-done" X-ray normally used to look for run-of-the-mill bronchial infections, etc.

klipt 7y ago
Right, the 3D equivalent is a CT scan which is a much higher radiation dose than a regular x-ray. On average every 1000 CT scans done causes one new case of cancer.
- stilley2 7y ago
  Source?
mattkrause 7y ago
A brain CT doesn't take 45 minutes though--and a brain MRI doesn't use x-rays.

ebg13 7y ago

> A chest x-ray is about 5x less radiation exposure then a transatlantic flight.[1] The more important measure is CT, not flat x-ray.

FriendlyNormie 7y ago

Let’s assume this new X-ray technique is not actually an ordinary X-ray but really is a modification to a CT scan, since otherwise there’s no reason for them to compare it to an MRI. A head CT scan delivers 40 mGy of radiation to an adult brain. The dose of background radiation the average human body gets per year in the US is 3.6 mGy. The average adult brain is 1400 cubic centimeters. The average adult body is 62000 cubic centimeters. 1400/62000 = 0.02258. So the brain is actually only exposed to 2.258% of 3.6 mGy of background radiation per year, which is 0.081288 mGy per year. 40/0.081288 = 492. This means a head CT scan is equivalent to 492 years worth of background radiation blasted into the brain in the span of 10 minutes. A transatlantic flight exposes your entire body to 0.1 mGy of which your brain only receives 0.002258 mGy. 0.002258/0.081288 = 0.028, and 0.028*365 = 10.22. This means a transatlantic flight exposes your brain to 10 days worth of background radiation over the span of 20 hours.

Cantbekhan 7y ago

Always relevant http://xkcd.com/radiation/ http://xkcd.com/radiation/