There has been no evidence of illness or increased cancer risk at small radiation doses that are similar to the amounts we receive from routine x-ray procedures.  Low levels of radiation exposure are safe in the sense that there either is no effect or the effect is too small to observe. The exposure does carry some risk, and in most cases the level of risk is the same or less than other day-to-day activities we consider safe or acceptable.

Whether something is truly safe is based on how each individual sees it.  Each day we face risks of various sorts but the risk is so low that we just don’t think about it or the risk is something we are willing to take because of benefits we see (like driving your car or walking across a busy street). It is the same with a dose of radiation. When the calculated risk from radiation exposure is the same as risks we routinely consider acceptable, we then we conclude that the amount of radiation exposure is also acceptable.

In every case, the decision to have a medical x-ray should be justified based on the expectation that the exam will benefit the individual being exposed.

Adapted from www.radiationanswers.org