Medical x-ray exposure doses as contaminants of atomic bomb doses

Since 1967 at the times of their biennial ABCC/RERF radiological examinations, all Adult Health Study (AHS) subjects have been interviewed to determine the exposures to medical x-rays they experienced in institutions other than RERF in order to estimate the numbers of examinations and corresponding doses which they received. These data have been stored on computer tapes together with the doses these subjects received during their radiological examinations in the ABCC/RERF Department of Radiology. Thus, their medical x-ray doses are available along with their atomic bomb doses (tentative 1965 doses revised, T65DR) for assessment of the role of ionizing radiation in the development of diseases. The medical x-ray doses incurred at RERF were assessed by means of phantom dosimetry. Those at other institutions were determined using phantom dosimetry data and results of surveys for trends in radiological examinations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By the end of 1982, the average medical x-ray doses to the active bone marrow were 12.04 mGy for A-bomb exposed groups and 8.92 mGy for control groups (not-in-cities); to the male gonads, 2.26 mGy and 1.89 mGy, respectively; and to the female gonads, 17.45 mGy and 12.58 mGy, respectively. Results for Hiroshima and Nagasaki were similar. The main impact of medical x-ray doses was in the lowest T65DR group. Medical x-ray active bone marrow doses ranged from 0.05-500% (mean, 35%) of A-bomb doses in the 10-99 mGy T65DR group. In the 100-999 mGy T65DR group, medical x-ray active bone marrow doses ranged from 0.005-50% (mean, 5%) of their T65DR. In the greater than 1,000-mGy T65DR group, medical x-ray exposures were proportionally less. Female active bone marrow and gonad doses were similar in magnitude to the male active bone marrow doses. Medical x-ray exposures produced smaller doses to the gonads of males than to those of the females. The use of medical x-rays is steadily increasing. Careful consideration of doses from medical sources is essential for reliable assessments of the effects from exposures to the atomic bombs.