What is X-ray ? Is it safe to take X-ray examination ?

X-ray is high-energy electromagnetic wave. Its wavelength is shorter than those of visible light and is not visible to the human eye. X-ray is widely used for medical diagnosis since its discovery in 1895.

X-ray is highly penetrating. The higher the density of the material it acts on, the lower will be the degree of penetration. Since human tissue, organs and bone have different densities, the X-ray passing through the body will be attenuated differently thus producing images very useful in medical diagnosis. The X-ray dosage in medical diagnosis is very low each time and is unlikely to cause any harm to the patient. Furthermore, the radiographer will shield those parts of the body not requiring medical diagnosis using lead sheets to reduce the effect of scattered radiation to the patient.