A doctor is administering radiation therapy in this file photo provided by the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.
SEOUL, June 28 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of South Koreans have a vague fear of medical radiation examinations due to insufficient information, a survey showed Tuesday.
According to a survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) among 3,000 adults aged 18 to 69 across the country, approximately half of the respondents were aware of the risks associated with medical radiation examinations.
About 30.3 percent of the respondents reported feeling fear of radiation risks whenever they undergo such examinations.
When asked about the imaging examination with the highest radiation exposure, 37.2 percent mistakenly chose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), despite the fact that MRI does not involve radiation exposure.
Among general medical examinations, computerized tomography (CT) scans have the highest radiation exposure. However, only a mere 17.7 percent of the respondents correctly identified CT as having the highest radiation exposure.
Surprisingly, 41.1 percent of the respondents were unaware that medical radiation can be shielded using materials made of lead or concrete.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
