Radiological Risks: A Newsmaker Interview With Eugenio Picano, MD

"For example, a chest computed tomogram (CT) corresponds to about 400 chest x-rays, implying a risk similar to smoking 700 cigarettes. Here, we have a paradox: in Europe, when you buy a cigarette pack you are faced with a large, bold, and funereal black notice stating that 'Smoking severely damages your health' or 'You can die from smoking'; then you have a thallium scan, and no one minds telling you that the long-term risk corresponds to smoking 1,400 cigarettes."