Below are some tips from a radiographic technology class at the Life West SPA Day for those of us who were getting our CE hours for x-ray operators.

Always store boxes of unexposed film upright. Moisture can damage film stored horizontally.

It is advisable to use the same company’s film with their screens. The emulsions of both are developed to minimize chemical interaction between the two. Some film-screen interactions have a deleterious effect on screens and can cause premature screen degradation. It is also unwise to keep film in cassettes for long periods of time because chemical reactions between emulsion and moisture may cause sticking of film to screens.

When x-raying children, the following are rules of thumb for lowering mAS from the adult technique (KV is constant):

  • Infant (to age 2 yrs): lower mAS by 75%
  • Pre-school (2-6 yrs): lower mAS by 50%
  • School age (6-12 yrs): lower mAS by 25%
  • Teens: usually same or similar to adults

Luminous dials/faces such as those found on cell phones, beepers, watches may cause light exposure to film.

Exposed film is more sensitive to light than unexposed film.

To double or halve the technique, raise or lower the KV by 10 respectively.

When doubling distance (FFD), increase mAS by 4.