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Low levels of medical radiation can cause cancer, HKU study warns

Even low levels emitted by X-rays and CT scans can cause cancer, and people who often get whole-body checks are at risk, HKU study says

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A chest X-ray is equivalent to 10 days' absorption of Americans' annual average intake of naturally occurring ionising radiation. Photo: Xinhua

Worries have been raised about the overuse of radiation in medicine after a study shows that even low levels of radiation - such as those emitted by X-rays and CT scans - can cause cancer.

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The risk of soft-tissue sarcoma is doubled if a person receives an amount of radiation equivalent to two CT head scans, University of Hong Kong researchers say.

This means that people who join a growing trend of getting frequent whole-body checks including X-rays and scans are putting themselves at risk, the researchers say, adding that authorities should also reconsider the risks of nuclear power.

"The study has highlighted that even low to moderate levels of exposure are enough to cause genetic mutation," study leader Dino Samartzis said.

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While it was difficult to project the risk of cancer precisely, "the conclusion is simple - we should avoid all unnecessary exposure to radiation as much as we can", said Samartzis, a research assistant professor in HKU's department of orthopaedics and traumatology.

The researchers used data from a lifespan study of more than 80,000 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic-bomb survivors.

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