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Some people are extremely apprehensive about having an x-ray, usually due to the fact that they will be exposed to radiation. Having an x-ray, however, is a safe procedure. Here a 5 myths about x-rays and your health.

It is well documented and common knowledge, that high doses of radiation are emitted into the atmosphere when there is a nuclear explosion or when an atomic bomb is dropped. Radiation will, and has been, released into the atmosphere when a nuclear power plant experiences a disaster. The radiation released is extremely potent and has been proven to cause mutations in the human development as well as cancer. This is where the myths about x-rays originated from. Let’s take a look at 5 of these myths.

1. It is true that the radiation a person would be exposed to during an x-ray is not good for them. No radiation is. The level of radiation during an x-ray, however, is significantly low. As such, the effects of this radiation are not substantial. In fact, we are exposed to radiation everyday in our own environment. Radiation is present in rocks and plants, water and soil, and we are exposed to radiation from the sun. The amount of radiation a person is exposed to during an x-ray is less than the amount we are exposed to in the environment.

2. The next myth involves breastfeeding. Cutting right to the chase, x-rays do not affect the breast milk of a nursing mother. A nursing mother can have a mammogram and a host of other x-rays for the purpose of diagnosis. The only x-ray that a nursing mother should avoid entirely is that of the thyroid. There are many different ways of performing thyroid checks. There’s no need to stop breastfeeding or avoid an x-ray is you’re a nursing mother.

3. Moving on, the myth that x-rays will damage image cards is also false. This myth probably originated from the fact that the beam emitted from an x-ray machine can adversely affect film. The properties of film and image cards, however, are entirely different. Your image cards are comprised of bazillions of ones and zeros. Film is comprised of light-sensitive emulsions. Your image cards are not affected by light as film is. Therefore, your cards are completely safe as they pass through the x-ray machine, and all information stored on them is not altered or destroyed.

4. Are you worried that your laptop or floppy diskettes may be damaged by those airport x-ray machines? Well stop worrying. X-ray machines emit what’s called electromagnetic energy. It will not destroy any information you have stored on your laptop or other like devices. However, taking your laptop through a metal detector will damage your device.

5. If you’re in the horse breeding business you may have run across this next myth. If semen that is being transported undergoes an x-ray, the sperm will be killed. This just isn’t true. There is absolutely no research that shows this is true. Considering that the longevity of sperm in frozen semen had been tested using x-rays blows this myth right out of the water.

X-rays are a valuable tool for the diagnosis of many different medical conditions. While it’s true that you should avoid unnecessary x-rays, as a rule, x-rays will not cause growth deformities or cancer.

Trudi Buck blogs about how to choose among radiology technician schools.