There is an increased risk in children if the expectant mother is exposed to radiation. Which conditions are included?

• A. Birth defects
• B. Decreased intelligence
• C. Leukemia and other cancers
• D. Genetic mutations

Answer: (C)

When a pregnant patient is exposed to ionizing radiation, the main concern is stochastic effects in the child, particularly an increased risk of cancer, including leukemia. This cancer risk is observed across studies and persists at various dose levels, making leukemia and other cancers the most consistent and documented fetal outcome after radiation exposure. Birth defects tend to occur only with high doses during very early development when organs are forming, which is not typical of standard diagnostic imaging doses. Decreased intelligence can occur with substantial prenatal doses but is not the primary risk emphasized for routine radiologic exposure. Genetic mutations in offspring are not the most clearly linked consequence at diagnostic exposure levels. So the best-supported risk category is leukemia and other cancers.