Can an x- ray detect plastic?

Answer 1

Depends.

As opposed to visible light, where what we see usually is made up of light that bounces back to us from the object that were' looking at, x-ray pictures are made up of radiation that has gone through the object we're examining.

Basically, in an x-ray, we're looking at the shadows formed by the parts of the object that the x-rays can't penetrate, or can't penetrate as easily.

So, what we need to be able to see something on x-ray is that there is a difference in how easily it is for x-rays to go through the object vs how easy it is for x-rays it is to go through what's around it.

A single piece of plastic surrounded by air would probably be detected, while a piece of plastic sitting on a steel sheet would probably not be detected. The plastic in air would cast a slight shadow, but for the steel-backed plastic the steel would stop everything.

Answer 2

It depends on the dose and what the material is actually made of and how thick it is, but it should go right through most of it, so it may be difficult to see on an x-ray when compared with denser materials.

Answer 3

It is possible to improve the density of certain plastics using special additives as fillers. Consequently, plastic can be made x-ray visible .