Why X-rays Burn the Skin

Mr. Tesla also points out, in the Electrical Review, what he considers to be the cause of the singular sunburn effects produced by X-rays impinging upon the hands. It is not the rays themselves which cause the injury, he says, but the ozone generated by them in contact with the skin. Nitrous acid, produced electrically from the nitrogen in the air, may also be responsible to a small extent. The best means of protecting the hands is to prevent the access of air to them while the exposure is going on. This may be accomplished by immersion in oil.