10/15/2026
Myth or Fact: Radiation from mammograms will cause cancer.
MYTH! Mammography does use ionizing radiation, and ionizing radiation is carcinogenic at high doses. But the carcinogenic risk from low-dose radiation (effective doses below 100 mSv) is negligible, and no radiation-induced cancers have ever been observed at such low doses.
All radiology imaging exams, including mammograms, fall well below this 100 mSv threshold. In fact, a digital screening mammogram delivers a dose equivalent to just 8 weeks of natural background radiation.
The significant mortality benefit of catching breast cancer at earlier stages far outweighs the small, theoretical carcinogenic risk from mammography's radiation.
