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Published online 30 January 2004 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news040126-13

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Cancer radiation risk estimated

Medical X-rays cause thousands of cases of cancer every year.

A British study has quantified the cancer risk from diagnostic X-rays. Radiation from medical and dental scans is thought to cause about 700 cases of cancer per year in Britain and more than 5,600 cases in the United States1.

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