Dr. Mohamed Helaly
Specialist Radiologist
Radiation exposure is a common concern for patients. Here's how modern radiology minimises risk while delivering the clearest diagnostic images.
Radiation is a topic that generates understandable anxiety for patients. The questions we hear most often: Is this scan safe? How much radiation will I receive? Could this cause cancer? These are all reasonable questions, and they deserve honest, calibrated answers.
First, context. Ionising radiation — the kind used in X-rays and CT scans — does carry a small theoretical risk of promoting cancer. But 'small' is doing a lot of work in that sentence. A chest X-ray delivers roughly 0.02 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation. By comparison, you receive about 2.4 mSv per year simply from natural background radiation in the environment — the rocks, the soil, cosmic rays from the atmosphere. A transatlantic flight adds about 0.08 mSv.
CT scans deliver more radiation — a chest CT is roughly 7 mSv, a CT abdomen/pelvis around 8–10 mSv. This is why CTs should always be clinically justified: the diagnostic benefit must outweigh the small additional risk. At Circle Care Clinic, every scan request is reviewed by our radiologist before proceeding.
Ultrasound and MRI use no ionising radiation at all. Ultrasound uses sound waves; MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves. These are the modalities of choice for many conditions — particularly in children and in pregnant patients — precisely because they carry no radiation burden.
Our radiology team applies the ALARA principle in every scan: As Low As Reasonably Achievable. This means using the lowest radiation dose that still provides a diagnostically useful image. Our equipment is regularly calibrated and our radiographers hold specialist qualifications in radiation safety.
For children, extra care is taken. Children are more radiosensitive than adults and have more years ahead of them. Paediatric protocols use reduced dose parameters, and we always ask: can we get the same diagnostic information with ultrasound instead? Often the answer is yes.
If you have concerns about a recommended scan, please raise them. Our radiologist is available to speak with patients, explain the clinical rationale, and discuss alternatives. An informed patient is always our goal.
