Ok, so what is radiation exactly?

Radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation, or more simply, radiation is the transfer of energy. When an radiograph (x-ray) is performed, the radiograph machines emit ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is a specialized type of radiation that has the potential to remove an orbital electron from an atom. [2] To sum it up, any type of energy that has the ability to ionize, is referred to as ionizing radiation.