110 HRES 1216 IH: Supporting the efforts to reduce U.S. House of Representatives 2008-05-20 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1216 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 20, 2008 Mrs. Myrick (for herself, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Israel, and Ms. Pryce of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting the efforts to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure through computed tomography scans for children, and for other purposes.

Whereas medical imaging provides valuable and often life-saving medical information for patients and their families; Whereas there is often a need to tailor techniques used in pediatric imaging to children’s smaller bodies to avoid radiation exposures that are greater than necessary; Whereas this is especially true regarding computed tomography (CT) scans; Whereas nationwide there are approximately 7,000,000 CT scans performed on children each year, the number may be increasing at approximately 10 percent per year, and about half of these examinations involve children under 10 years of age; Whereas CT is the largest contributor to medical radiation dosing in the United States; Whereas radiation can have recognized harmful effects; Whereas children’s body tissues are more radiosensitive, and children absorb a larger dose for a given level of radiation than adults; Whereas there are many techniques that can be used to dramatically lessen the amount of radiation to which children are exposed during CT scans, while still enabling diagnostic quality images; and Whereas parents can help determine whether or not their imaging provider adjusts dose techniques for children by asking if their imaging facility is accredited and technologists are credentialed: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)encourages radiologists, radiologic technologists, medical physicists, pediatricians, other pediatric health care providers, and parents to consider the different needs of children when it comes to radiation dosing; (2)encourages appropriate used of computed tomography scans in children; and (3)encourages radiation protection efforts in pediatric imaging so that children may be properly diagnosed and efficiently treated for injury and disease.