A professor of health physics and biophysics at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State, Christopher Olowookere, has advocated for the cautious use of radiation within the medical field for the well-being of patients.

According to the academic don, excessive radiation doses, particularly through incorrect application, can lead to detrimental effects in patients.

Olowookere stated this while delivering the 8th Inaugural Lecture of the institution titled “The Beauty of the ‘Invisible Princess’ and Perils of Her Heavy Make-up,” which was held at the Laje campus of the university.

While describing radiation energy as the ‘Invisible Princess,’ he, however, warned that a tool can turn into a weapon if it gets into the wrong hands or is applied wrongly.

He said, “Radiation is a great and useful tool that has been used to save the lives of millions of people through non-invasive examination of organs of the human body to detect diseases and abnormalities.

“As beautiful as the princess (radiation) is, the heavy make-up (high radiation doses) can mar its beauty.”

Olowookere, who further stressed that too many doses of radiation also promote somatic and genetic effects that can affect generations yet unborn, stated that “the tool must be put in the hands of competent and trained personnel,” due to its double-edged nature.

He said, “Currently, the preoccupation of the physicians and radiographers in our healthcare facilities appears to be the quality of the image produced, with less focus on the potential effect of radiation on the health and well-being of patients.”

The don recommended the training and retraining of the handlers of radiation on the principles of radiation protection for all relevant health workers within the health sector and beyond, stressing that it will prevent the wrong use of radiation.