방사선 검사, 5년 새 30% 증가…“과다 피폭 줄여야”

South Korea saw a 30% increase in medical radiation examinations last year, totaling 4.3159 million, with an average of 8.4 examinations per person, according to the "2025 National Medical Radiation Evaluation Brief" released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The report emphasized the need to reduce unnecessary radiation examinations and lower the radiation exposure for patients.

The data, compiled from CT scans, X-ray imaging, and other medical imaging procedures, revealed that computerized tomography (CT) scans accounted for 67.1% of the examinations, followed by general X-ray imaging (27.4%), vascular imaging (2.1%), and computed axial tomography (1.4%).

The Ministry of Health and Welfare advised that while CT scans are useful for diagnosing specific ailments, each CT scan exposes patients to higher radiation than a standard X-ray, making the exposure per examination a significant concern. Over the past five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of radiation examinations has risen by 29.6%, from 3.313 million (6.4 examinations per person) to 4.3159 million (8.4 examinations per person), translating to a 22.6% increase in average radiation exposure (from 2.64 to 3.24 millisieverts per person).

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the domestic Atomic Energy Act recommend an annual radiation dose of 1 millisievert for the general public, excluding natural background radiation and routine X-ray exposure. For atomic power plant workers, the annual maximum permissible dose is 50 millisieverts. Dr. Jang Pyeong-gwan, the head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Medical radiation examinations are essential healthcare services for the nation, but unnecessary and excessive exposure should be avoided."

He pledged to disseminate guidelines on "Justified Use of Medical Imaging Diagnosis" and "Diagnostic Level Assessment" to ensure safe and appropriate use of medical radiation.