Radiation technology is a field with potentially serious occupational hazards.
For more than a century, scientists have maintained a link between jobs that expose workers to radiation and the development of a number of cancers. According to the Health Physics Society website, government officials recognize this hazard and have thus established guidelines as to how much radiation an employer can lawfully expose an employee. As the website states, these standards vary by state. The risk has tended to decrease with such regulation, as well as the advent of personal protective equipment. A radiological technologist is one such employee whose job could potentially expose him to radiation.
Skin Cancer
Researchers have associated both types of skin cancer with work as a radiologic technician. According to the National Cancer Institute, chronic low to moderate levels of exposure to radiation can lead to skin cancer. In a survey of 65,304 technologists, scientists identified 1,355 incidents of basal cell carcinoma. The chance slightly more than doubled for those who first worked prior to 1940, declining with subsequent years of first-year employment.
However, the website also maintains that the melanoma threat increased among those technologists who first worked before 1950. If you worked before that date as a radiologic technologist and failed to wear personal protective equipment, such as an apron or a shield, you particularly increased your melanoma risk.
Researchers also cited skin color as a factor. The fairer a worker's skin in the study, the more susceptible she was to skin cancer.
Leukemia
A person who works in constant exposure to radiation also risks developing leukemia due to constant exposure to radiation as the dangerous chemicals make their way into his bloodstream; scientist Marie Curie died in this manner in 1934. According to the National Cancer Institute website, both acute and chronic leukemias increased among those who first worked with radiation prior to 1945. The website also mentions that those radiologists who X-rayed 50 or more patients showed an elevated risk of leukemia as well.
Breast Cancer
The National Cancer Institute website also cites breast cancer among the malignancies that may develop among radiologists. Among people who started working in this field prior to 1935, the website reports that risks increased almost threefold. These risks became particularly high among those who began working before age 17.
Thyroid Cancer
The National Cancer Institute reports a 50 percent increase thyroid cancer risk among radiologic technologists who have X-rayed patients 50 times or more. This risk became significantly higher among those who started working in the field prior to 1950.
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