Every X-ray scan exposes your cells to ionizing radiation that can damage DNA by breaking its chemical bonds.

X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation with enough energy to knock electrons loose from atoms and molecules. As they travel through your body, they can directly hit DNA or create free radicals—unstable molecules that attack DNA. According to the Health Physics Society, a single chest X-ray delivers approximately 0.1 mSv of radiation, roughly equivalent to 10 days of natural background radiation exposure.The damage typically appears as single-strand or double-strand breaks in the DNA helix. Human cells have evolved sophisticated repair enzymes, such as DNA ligase, that can rejoin broken DNA strands. However, this repair process is not perfectly accurate. When a double-strand break is repaired incorrectly, it can cause chromosomal translocations or deletions—rearrangements that may lead to serious consequences.Research published in Nature Reviews Cancer demonstrates that accumulated DNA damage is a major factor in cancer development. The linear no-threshold (LNT) model, adopted by organizations like the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), assumes that even small radiation doses carry proportional risk. This principle underlies ALARA—As Low As Reasonably Achievable—the global standard for ensuring medical imaging safety by minimizing unnecessary exposure.