Abstract: In one aspect, a protective face mask designed to shield an x-ray technician or machine operator primarily from random secondary or scatter x-rays deflected toward his face, head and neck by the table, walls, equipment and other reflecting elements in an x-ray room or chamber, during the period of exposure while adjacent the object or person being exposed to the x-ray beam.In another aspect, the face mask and chest shield device can be mounted on a patient's shoulders in reverse attitude to protect the back of a patient's head and neck from the x-ray beam while being exposed to such beam for chest or upper body portion study and examination.The face mask is relatively or substantially transparent and contains lead in combination with a plastic ionomer or comonomer, which absorbs or resists penetration, to a degree, of the random deflected secondary or scatter x-rays or the x-ray beam through the mask.