IV. Possible Consequences of Radiographic Tissue Dose

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Abstract
Besides their influence on the daily practice of radiology in medicine and dentistry, the Adrian Committee Reports must have a variety of administrative, economic, educational and forensic implications. But all the effects and the implications depend on the correctness of the initial assumption that exposures in the routine practice of medical radiology can possibly do harm. Only if this is so is it “essential to ensure that any unnecessary exposure from this source (medical radiology) is prevented”. As far as genetic effects are concerned it seems clear enough that any radiation exposure, however small, has a certain probability of causing point mutations in germ cells. Yet any natural species of organism, plant or animal, needs a steady supply of new mutations if it is to maintain its numbers and its qualities. An increase in mutations in fact does harm only if the supply of mutations is otherwise adequate. Our very real biological ignorance about the amount of genetic harm which medical radiology might cause stems primarily from our genetic ignorance about the effect on our present population of continuously introducing additional mutant genes. This sort of ignorance cannot be affected by refinements in our knowledge of radiation, of gonad dose due to medical radiology or of the relation between mutation rate and radiation dose or doserate.