William Penn Life, 1969 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1969-01-01 / 1. szám
DANE WERT X-RAYS DANGEROUS? Thousands of persons, frightened by half-truths and distortions, are asking if x-rays are dangerous. The answer is yes—and so are aspirin tablets, sunlight and charcoal-broiled steaks. There are many things which are dangerous if incorrectly or excessively used and it is unfortunate that recent conflicting claims about x-rays have caused so much concern. It would be even more unfortunate if that concern causes a single person to avoid a diagnostic x-ray and then dies from a cancer that might have been removed had it been detected earlier. X-rays are rated as one of the greatest booms to health in the past 50 years. How dangerous are they? Everyone absorbs radiation every day. We are bombarded by radiation from cosmic rays, radio activity in the earth and even from food and body substances. The average annual absorption from “natural” sources is placed at 120 milli-LET’S GO TO "FUN CITY” The Statue of Liberty lifts her torch of welcome, across the harbor are the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan, to the William Penn Bowlers and Friends for the Bowling Tournament and Fellowship Days on Saturday, May 31st, Sunday, June 1st, 1969. rads per person. The “rad” is an index of radiation measurement. The National Council on Radiation Protection Measurements says that a single dose of even 200,000 millirads to the entire body would not require medical care. The Council estimates that an entire body dose of 450,000 millirads would be lethal to most persons. In comparison, Americans received an average annual radiation dose of 55 millirads as a result of medical diagnostic examinations, according to a Public Health Service survey in 1964. This is less than half the amount the average American receives from “natural” radiation and is only a tiny fraction of that which some persons consider to be a dangerous dose. However, physicians point out that there is no clear dividing line between what may be termed safe and unsafe amounts of radiation. Because of the absence of conclusive evidence, physicians and dentists seek to keep x-ray exposure to the minimum. If they suggest that you have an x-ray, it is because the value as a diagnostic aid far outweighs any other consideration. * MORE EYE TROUBLES? If you have noticed that more children seem to be wearing glasses these days, you may guess incorrectly that children’s eyes aren’t what they used to be in earlier generations. There is no indication that the percentage of eye difficulties is increasing but better medical testing techniques are detecting more eye weaknesses and parents today are more concerned about their children’s sight. Do you think your child may need glasses? One way to be certain is to consult a physician trained in eye care. More than one-third of a child’s impressions of the world around him are gained through his eyes and properly prescribed glasses assure that what the eye sees is clear and sharp. Only a few eyes are perfect. Glasses are needed when an abnormality is enough to blur vision, cause headache or strain, or make an eye turn from its normal straight position. Special safety lenses available for children’s glasses today are not a hazard for the physically active youngster. Such shatterproof lenses actually help protect a child’s eyes. Unfortunately, some eye difficulties are not detected until the child starts to school. Current diagnostic procedures make it possible to detect eye difficulties much earlier than school age and the handicap of poor eyesight should be corrected as soon as possible. The most common defects are astigmatism, near-sightedness and far-sightedness. Astigmatism is blurred vision and it is caused when the surface of the 10
