X-ray equipment

I have been contacted by a small, community museum that has an
"x-ray shoe machine" in their collection and would like to know what
its hazards are and whether they need to deaccession it. The x-ray
was manufactured by Expert Shoe Fitter Inc. in Milwaukee and while
the exact date of manufacture is not known, it was used in a local
shoe store before the 1970s. The machine is in stable condition and
does not appear to be leaking or corroding. These x-rays were fairly
common in shoe stores and turn up in museum collections from time to
time.

Their questions: Is it likely that PCBs are present and if so, can
they be drained from the transformer to render the machine safer?
What are the radiation hazards? Has anyone dealt with these machines
before?

Audrey Yardley-Jones
Conservation Co-ordinator
Museums Alberta
9829 103 Street
Edmonton, AB  T5K 0X9
780-424-2668, extension 225
Fax: 780-425-1679

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:29
                 Distributed: Friday, November 12, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-29-021
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