Evaluation of Absorbed Dose in Chest X-rays of Paediatric Patients

The problem of environmental degradation has led to various forms of health issues. Industrialization and poor environmental managements have resulted to the release of various forms of pollutants into the environment, of which radiation is cardinal. Radiations from hospitals and medical research institutes (x-rays and gamma-rays) have been of great concern because of the known inherent effects of high dosages, especially to children. Chest x-ray examination is the commonest radiological procedure children undergo in the hospitals. Children less than ten years of age are more sensitive to ionizing radiation than adults as they possess cells that are fast dividing, so any radiological damage could affect the growth and development of the child and that the effects are age dependent. Children are exposed to two- to three-fold increase in lifetime risk from over dosages from radiation especially when they are poorly protected or the chest x-rays are repeated. This work revealed the absorbed doses of radiation children received to the chest, thyroid and gonad while undergoing chest x-rays at Braithwaite Memorial Hospital, Port Harcourt,Rivers State, Nigeria.