Abstract
Recently, issues concerning medical exposure to ionizing radiation have drawn much attention. One of the triggers was the article that appeared in The Lancet (363:345-351, 2004) which claimed that among 15 countries examined, Japan stood highest in doses from X-ray examination. Newspapers in Japan ran headlines proclaiming that 3.2% of cancer in Japan comes from diagnostic X-ray examinations, setting off fear among the general public about radiation and radiation diagnosis. In addition to arguments on the derivation of the 3.2% figure, these instances raised an important issue concerning how to best understand the risks from low level radiation. On the other hand, over-exposure of patients and operators has become a major issue in newly developed technology wherein emphasis tends to be placed on the merits of radiation than on its damaging effects. Ionizing radiation has been described as a double-bladed sword. To use it properly and efficiently, we should neither underestimate nor overestimate its effects.
The aim of this workshop is to review the current situation of medical exposure and to exchange information on how and what kind of information should be disseminated, and to discuss the possible role of the Japan Radiation Research Society in this kind of activity.
