RADIATION HAZARDS AND PROTECTION

RADIATION HAZARDS AND PROTECTION

The dental x-ray technician should never receive primary radiation from a dental x-ray unit if safety precautions are observed. However, scattered and/or secondary radiation is more difficult to avoid and is a serious danger to the technician. This type of radiation is produced by a scattering of the primary x-ray beam. The x-ray photons and photo-electrons in the beam undergo a change of direction after interaction with atoms and molecules as they pass through a substance. (Photo-electrons will be discussed in Lesson 2.) Figure 1-6 depicts scattered/secondary radiation. Scattered/secondary radiation from a patient is depicted in figure 1-7.