Health Effects of Medical Radiation on Cardiologists Who Perform Cardiac Catheterization

Medical application of radiation began a few months after the discovery of X-rays by the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen more than 100 years ago. The harmful biological effects of ionizing radiation became apparent shortly after its utilization. Since 1920, health professionals in contact with radiation have worn lead protective clothing to reduce the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Brenner et al have reported that an increase in carcinogenic risk is observed when the acute radiation exposure dose reaches 10–50mSv, whereas the carcinogenic risk for long-term radiation exposure occurs at a higher accumulated dose of 50–100 mSv.1 Recently, many studies have been performed on medical radiation protection for patients and medical professionals using thermoluminescent dosimetry to measure the radiation dose received at the body surface.2,3 Data from the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute ORIGINAL ARTICLE