we had a family friend who had an old x-ray machine in his basement. he had a couple of "at home" jobs heeded on the side, involving parts and inspection. he'd occasionally use the machine to check a random batch for hidden flaws. his wife would help out, too, when the kids were at school. i was surprised--i'd been in nursing for years, and had never seen such a use, before. i was frightened for them, because i didn't know what kind of precautions they took with the actual process. it broke my heart for them, about 5 years later, when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and died within the next couple of years. she was still a young woman, with a kindergartner when she passed. i've never shaken the feeling that she was overexposed to radiation, when she was working down there.