Disclosed is a radiation-shielding curtain for use in an X-ray system for the inspection and/or irradiation of articles. The radiation-shielding curtain comprises a multitude of elongate vertical elements suspended at the top, adjacent to each other, and configured to be pushed out of the way by the objects moving through the curtain. Each of the elongate elements is a straight, slender rod with a convex cross-sectional profile and a smooth surface. The radiation-shielding curtain is of a configuration that facilitates cleaning and allows the curtain to glide easily over the objects moving through the system and to drape itself closely against the surface of the moving objects, so as to provide an effective radiation shield at the entrance and/or exit openings of the inspection system.
