“They were banned decades ago. Too many kids with glowing feet, I guess.”
More probably the salesmen who were exposed to the unshielded x-rays on a daily basis.
You’re right, I should have thought of that. When you get a chest X-ray, the tech takes cover behind heavy shielding.
X-ray techs in field hospitals are often not shielded & cumulative radiation exposure is ultimately quite harmful.
The kid in the shoe store only got a momentary dose. My bad with the bad joke.