A method of detecting defects in protective clothing items includes positioning a protective clothing item in a scanner; moving the item through scanner while irradiating the item with X-rays; measuring energy of the X-rays that pass through the item using a linear detector as the item is being moved through the scanner; calculating a lead equivalent thickness of each pixel of the item based on the energy; identifying any areas of the item with defects; and displaying an image of the item with the identified areas highlighted. Optionally, a conveyor belt and clamping wheels are used to move the item. Different colors are used to indicate different lead equivalent thickness on the image. Optionally, the method includes dividing the image into separate windows of 10x10 pixels, corresponding to areas of up to 15x15 mm, and calculating arithmetic mean of the lead equivalent thickness for the item and for each area.