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Comment by jlgreco | Hacker News Reader

Even medical grade x-ray equipment that is seemingly well and regularly maintained operated by trained medical professionals in hospitals can go horrifically wrong.

These machines are none of those things. Why should I give them the benefit of the doubt?

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I disagree with your emphasis of "hospitals", because I think of hospitals as much more dangerous and threatening than airports. Your odds per visit of being killed by hospital-acquired infections alone are hugely greater than all forms of death caused by air travel.

I emphasis that not because I think hospitals are particularly safe but because I think the damage a malfunctioning x-ray machine may cause has a higher chance of being recognized for what it is in a hospital.

At the very least, people in hospitals tend to stay there longer. The radiation burns from Therac-25 took up to several days to become visible. Any damage that these machines may cause is likely going to be much more subtle, making the situation even worse.

The Therac-25 wasn't plugged into a wall socket.

These machines are plugged into wall sockets, therefore they must be safe.

Is that what you wish to imply?

Yup.

The thought that the manufacture of these machines may have displayed similar hubris and dismissiveness is frightening.

A risk, no matter how unlikely or small, is never worth taking if there is no payoff.

I really hope you aren't being sarcastic, as that would be funnier. Here's how to make an x-ray machine strong enough to work with standard film that you can plug in the wall and uses old tv parts. Be careful in doing this as dosimeters apparently are required. http://www.belljar.net/xray.htm

Speaking of radiotherapy overdoses, gnosis above provided an article about some more recent cases: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/health/29radiation.html?_r...;

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