X-ray tech overdoses kids with radiation

A Japanese hospital says an X-ray technician has admitted to injecting children with as much 10 times the recommended levels of a radioactive agent. Kofu Municipal Hospital said the radiographer admits he injected radioactive technetium-99m into 84 children at levels exceeding the dose recommended for adults, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Friday. The technician said the children, aged 15 and younger, were suffering from kidney ailments. Technetium-99m is given intravenously to allow clear images to be taken during x-rays. The hospital said the technician says he has been administering the higher does to children since 1999. No health problems have been reported, hospital director Katsura Ozawa told the newspaper. The technician said he gave the higher doses so that clear images of the kidneys could be taken as soon as possible.