What are the risks of a chest x-ray ?
Chest x-rays expose the patient briefly to a minimum amount of radiation. Any radiation exposure has some risk to the tissues of the body. The radiation exposure in a chest x-ray is minimized by the type of x-ray high speed film, which does not require as much radiation exposure as in the past.
Women who are pregnant, especially in early pregnancy, should notify their physicians, as the fetus is at risk for harm with any radiology technique.

How do I prepare for the test ?
There is no special preparation for a chest x-ray. It is important to tell the technologist if you are or may be pregnant. X-rays generally are not used on pregnant women because of the possible risk of radiation exposure to the developing baby.
Before the test begins, you will be asked to remove your clothing usually just from the waist up and put on a hospital gown. You also will be asked to remove all jewelry and any other objects containing metal (such as eyeglasses and hair pins). This is done because metal can block the image and interfere with the test results.