Dosage. Patients generally only get one x-ray every few years on average so being exposed is fine. The x-ray tech takes dozens every day so if they were exposed every time they would exceed safe dosage very quickly.
this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2026
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Also, they give you a lead garment to protect the areas that aren't being x-rayed. So the technicians are taking appropriate safety precautions for you as well as themselves.
Even without that precaution you get more radiation exposure from a long plane ride than from a single x-ray (less atmosphere above you = less shielding from cosmic radiation).
Employed X-ray tech here, this is mostly accurate, but most relevant academic bodies, in the US at least, actually recommend not shielding patients anymore, since it usually leads to slightly higher doses depending on the particular exam.
Collimation of the beam is sufficient to reduce dose with modern equipment.
That being said, when the patient is being X-rayed, such as in surgery, the primary source of radiation for everyone else is the patient. Since that cannot be collimated, lead aprons should be worn, and should be facing the source of radiation (i.e., don't turn your back when the beam is on, or wear a full wrap lead apron). Even that being said, the amount of radiation is low for almost everything except CT scans and IR (heart cath/embolization etc) cases.
they never gave me a lead garment
It depends on the xray and positions etc. I've had it with the lead apron and not
Lead garments are usually used to protect the doctors and technologists during fluoroscopy or x-ray guided therapy or surgery.
Collimation is what protects the areas that aren’t x-rayed in a patient.
They mean the lead garment the patient wears to avoid xrwy to vital areas
No, that’s what I said. They don’t
As a patient I have worn them, do they not have them where you go?
Like I said, collimation is what’s key: if you don’t put other body parts into the beam there is no need to put lead on a patient. Lead garments don’t work for the patient. It only helps to protect others around them from radiation that’s scattered in the patient and coming out at different angles.
So next time they hand you one, ask them to properly collimate instead.
They aren't even in the same room. They have a special walled booth. They've given me a vest when having my arm up out on a table. Seems somebody needs better equipment or better training
Mate, you really need to read better LOL, like I said in my first comment, it’s for fluoroscopy or X-ray assisted surgery
And the lead garment was bullshit as I have been telling you for a bunch of times now. Read up about x-ray machines and collimation before you accuse someone of not knowing what they’re talking about because you had an X-ray a few times xD
But who you originally responded to wasn't talking about the fluoroscope. They meant in general, that's why I said they meant the vest the patient wears. Also during my fluoroscope I was bare obviously but the doctors had aprons for obvious reasons.
Reading online its only more modern equipment that has good colluminarion adjustments, older equipment is still suggesting using patient protection, per the original comment
Yes. The patient isn’t supposed to wear a garment in general is what I said. Again, read please.
And “modern” is anything that was built in the last 50 years or so. So no, it’s not common practice to put lead garments on the patient and it’s simply a matter of the technologist being too lazy to collimate properly.
Its 100% common here in Canada
Maybe in the past, but not anymore.
It totally is. Even when I got tooth xrays 2 years ago where the machine is right against your jaw and film plate is in mouth they still put the lead vest over me.
If they did it was totally unnecessary, as I’ve told you many times over now. And the few X rays you’ve had are hardly proof now is it? Nor does it tell us what the current standards of care are.
I think you dont know and are doing by chatgpt results. Few xrays. Lol. I had several surgeries that required xrays as well as tumors, and my kids had broken bone xrays, and dental. It's always the vest or apron. I'm not claiming it is necessary, I'm telling you what they do here, and why a person was asking about vests
You really don’t handle being wrong very well, do you?
But chatGPT is a good idea, maybe start by asking it some stuff and work your way up from there :)
Uh I have lived experience, my wife works at a hospital and sees it. You are the one that is claiming something that isn't true here.
Ahhh yes, you have “lived” a bunch of X-rays and your wife works at a hospital. Tell me, is she a technologist at the radiology department? Or a radiologist? I doubt it. But if she is, maybe you can ask her what the current practices are.
Lol get lost troll. You made a statement that didn't reflect what happens here when somebody asked about patients wearing vests. You are pushing for doctors of a fluoroscope but that's not all xrays. And current practise here is lead shielding.
LOL, why is it so hard to accept the fact that you’re wrong? Or that your information is outdated? Have you always been like that?
And I am “pushing for doctors of a fluoroscope”. WTF is this sentence?
Mate, a fluoroscopy is a type of X-ray-based exam where the doctor wears the garment. That is the indication for lead garments, to protect other people in the room from scatter radiation coming off the patient at the time of the exam.
The lead shielding is in the X-ray machine itself. Not on the patient. Your information is outdated.
So again for the umpteenth time, next time they give you an apron tell them to properly collimate instead. Because lead aprons can actually increase your dose.
You can take the redditor out of reddit, but you can't take reddit out of the redditor.
Meh, guy may be a radiologist even, but its not how our system operates.
Maybe you can check the current guidelines too and see that I’m not the one acting like he knows what’s up because “he has had a few X-rays in their time”…
You misunderstand. You have more credibility than the other person in the area of radiology. But you're also 20 replies deep into an argument where it's obvious that neither of you will give any ground, fighting over mostly semantics at this point. That's redditor behaviour.
Ahh well that’s just me. I don’t handle obtuse people who are confidently wrong very well, but I guess that makes me an obtuse idiot too. I have been doing that since before I ever heard of Reddit. I have seen 9GAG slide off into right wing extremism. You bet your ass I had some long-winded discussions there :)
Radiation exposure is cumulative. Whether one subscribes to the LNT or hormesis model (yes, I watch Kyle Hill), there is a huge difference between a single chest x-ray and exposure even to the scattered radiation dozens of times a day for months.
You're smarter than this, come on. It's shitpost material.
It was mildly funny the first time. The next few ones not so much but I still got it. Now it's not funny and a dead horse to boot
It's kinda funny to see all the people explaining the joke each time it's posted.
The doc probably affraid of those Damage Over Time attack with status effect proc.
I like eating a spicy af burger every once in a while, but I wouldn't want to eat them 6 times a day
How dare you insult American culture on their day of independence.
Really? Fuck those cunts...
If Americans choose an early grave by eating 6 burgers a day, who are we to judge them?
Don't be ridiculous. That's the technician. The doctor is kilometers away by the time the death ray fires up