[Radiation exposure in diagnostic nuclear medicine: risk comparisons on the basis of effective doses]

The hypothetical risk of medical radiation exposure is often extrapolated to large population groups using arbitrary assumptions. To assess risk and benefit of diagnostic nuclear medicine and roentgenology, estimation of individual loss of life expectancy should be preferred. Employing ICRP 60 figures, diagnostic medical radiation exposure yields effective doses which commonly lie below or within the range of annual exposure from natural radiation (1-6 mSv). On an average, the individual medical exposure in Germany is estimated to be between 1 and 2 mSv which--extrapolated to total lifespan--leads to a hypothetical loss of life expectancy of 20-40 days. In the light of the rapid increase of life expectancy due to progresses in medical diagnostics and treatment after the introduction of X-rays, this figure is negligibly small.