SUMMARYA case of accidental radiation burns is reported. The patient, a scientist, was accidentally burned in a laboratary because the bergttium acindour X‐ray labe bring handled could be withdrawn from its protective housing while still actirated. While X‐ray diffraction and speetrographir generators of modern design make such accidents impossible, less modren units are widely used and are still marketed by manufacturers and while the use and sale of unsafe X‐ray units is permitted, such accidental X‐ray burns will coutinue to occur among scientific personnel handli