When can radiographs be safely exposed to light during processing?

Radiographs can be safely exposed to light after the fixing process. This is because the fixer solution serves to remove any unexposed silver halide crystals from the emulsion, rendering the film insensitive to light. Once the film has been fixed, it has been stabilized, and any latent image that was formed during exposure is now permanent and will not be affected by light exposure.

During the developing phase, the film is highly sensitive to light, and exposure can lead to fogging and loss of image quality. Similarly, the rinsing stage does not provide any protection against light because the film is still relying on the developing and hasn't been adequately fixed yet. Finally, although the film can withstand light exposure after it is completely dry, the critical safe point is after fixing, which ensures that the integrity of the developed image is preserved.