Here's another reason to be concerned about exposing kids to far too much radiation: Increasing their risk of thyroid cancer for as long as 57.5 years, if not longer.

Scientists calculated these escalating odds after reviewing medical records of patients living in Rochester, N.Y., who were treated for an enlarged thymus with low-dose chest radiotherapy from 1953-1987, then following up with those same patients between 2004-08 and comparing their health to siblings who hadn't received radiation therapy.

The incidence of thyroid cancer among 1,768 siblings who were never treated with radiation was nearly four times smaller (13) than those who were (50 out of some 1,300 cases). Also of concern, the risk for thyroid cancer grew with higher radiation doses, a more common medical practice long ago.

If you're worried about your thyroid health, there are plenty of resources on the Web to learn more about it. Also, you can do a lot, merely by modifying your diet to incorporate foods that improve your thyroid health and avoid those that harm it.

Radiation Research, Vol. 174, No. 6a, p. 753-762, December 2010

PhysOrg.com December 16, 2010