Living with CT Scan

My son was recently given a brain ct scan in a emergency room, thankfully they found nothing other than a sinus infection. It was a while later that I was curious about the radiation dose and looked on-line to find to my horror that he has a definite increase cancer risk now from that CT scan. My son also had a barium swallow as a infant a chest x-ray and a leg x-ray, nobody asked me about previous radiation exposure which makes his risk even greater.

I really feel there should be a change in policy, parents should be verbally told that they are increasing the child’s risk of cancer. We parents are not doctors or radiologist and to assume we know this is criminal. I believe in the importance of CT scans as a life saving tool but for my son if I would have been clearly informed of the risk I would of opted for observation or an MRI I fear for my child everyday and worry that my uninformed decision could cost him his life. I have spoken to the hospital where my son was treated and they explained to me that he has received his lifetime dose of radiation and I should avoid any further exposure. Considering that my son is only 7, I worry that he might need a ct scan in the future. I have read that a ct scan gives you the same dose of radiation that people received from the Hiroshima bombing. Since we have not been using ct scans that long, is it known what number of children truly develop cancer from the scan? I am looking for concrete answers on this subject and everything I read frightens me further. I hope someone can answer some of these questions.