Mammography is an accurate screening technique for the early detection of breast cancer in humans. Because this technique uses X rays diagnostically, it has been highly controversial. Can you explain why? What reasons justify the use of X rays for such a medical screening technique?

Video transcript

Hi everyone. Let's look at our next question. It says which of the following is not a carcinogen. And when we look over our answer choices, let's note that we have choice to eat None of the above. So there's that possibility. All will be correct. So let's look through them here. We've got choice A UV light but UV light is a well known um inducer of cancer, skin cancer. The UV light and sunlight. So that is definitely a carcinogen. So we'll mark that there. And then choice B is x rays. Choice C is gamma rays. Both of these are sources of ionizing radiation. And ionizing radiation has enough energy that it can cause, you know, it can knock off electrons and generate ions in the body's molecules. Uh these can break covalin bonds and that can therefore damage DNA and DNA damage can generate cancer. So ionizing radiation um is a carcinogen. As we see first saw from studies of populations exposed to the adam bomb and adam bombs in japan. So B and C. Are both carcinogens. So, we have our answer here is choice D. And none of the above. Since our question is which of the following is not a carcinogen. All three of our choices are carcinogens are answer choice D. None of the above. See you in the next video