(AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration is casting a hard eye at medical radiation because of evidence that Americans get too much of it from tests.
The average American's dose has grown sixfold in the past few decades. Americans get the most medical radiation in the world, accounting for half of the most advanced procedures that use radiation.
The consequences of too much radiation often don't show up for years. And there are no federal rules on radiation dose, except for mammograms.
The FDA is looking at ways to reduce and keep track of a person's exposure. One idea is to require device makers to print the radiation dose on each X-ray or other image. The FDA is also pushing industry and doctors to set standard doses for common tests such as CT scans.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKRCG