Newer machines are at least reducing the radiation. This is due to better compute power and to better sensors (essentially a mineral which converts x-rays into

Newer machines are at least reducing the radiation. This is due to better compute power and to better sensors (essentially a mineral which converts x-rays into flashes of light which then get captured by a photodiode). It's been huge in dental x-rays, going from film to CR/DR (although dental isn't huge, it's routine, and involves a large patient population including kids.) We probably will be <5 mSv for whole-body pretty soon. Ultimately there's no reason it can't be well under 1 mSv. Fluoroscopy on the other hand is easily 50 mSv/min and multi-hour procedures (!!!). People get acute effects from that.