How much radiation does a mammogram involve?
A single view dose of radiation should not exceed 0.3 centi-grays (cGy) or 0.3 rad (radiation absorbed dose). A rad used to be the scientific unit for ionizing radiation; it is now being replaced by the gray, which is 100 times a rad. A standard mammogram consists of two views per breast, although women with particularly big breasts may require three or four. Because radiation is a known cause of cancer, and because there are cumulative effects, BCAM recommends that you take seriously any decision to be X-rayed, mammography included. The risk of harm from radiation is highest in tissue where cells are rapidly changing, such as the growing breast tissue of adolescent females, but there is continuing growth in the breasts of women to the age of 35, as well as changes induced by menstruation and breastfeeding. Mammography screening continues to be a subject of controversy, particularly with respect to its use among premenopausal women and its advocacy by those who prefer to ignore its doc
