A collection of personal radiation shielding protective clothing, suitable for use in case of accidents in nuclear facilities or radiological emergency situations involving radioactive agents, was gathered and tested at the Nuclear Protection Department of the National Institute for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection, Czech Republic. Attenuating qualities of shielding layers in individual protective clothing were tested via spectra measurement of x and gamma rays, penetrating them. The rays originated from different radionuclide point sources, the gamma ray energies of which cover a broad energy range. The spectra were measured by handheld spectrometers, both scintillation and High Purity Germanium. Different narrow beam geometries were adjusted using a special testing bench and a set of various collimators. The main experimentally determined quantity for individual samples of personal radiation shielding protective clothing was x and gamma rays attenuation for significant energies of the spectra. The attenuation was assessed comparing net peak areas (after background subtraction) in spectra, where a tested sample was placed between the source and the detector, and corresponding net peak areas in spectra, measured without the sample. Mass attenuation coefficients, which describe attenuating qualities of shielding layers materials in individual samples, together with corresponding lead equivalents, were determined as well. Experimentally assessed mass attenuation coefficients of the samples were compared to the referred ones for individual heavy metals.

A collection of personal protective equipment (PPE), suitable for use in case of accident in nuclear facilities or radiological emergencies, was gathered at the National Institute for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection, Czech Republic. The shielding characteristics of the various PPE materials were measured via narrow geometry spectral attenuation measurements with point radionuclide sources covering a broad range of photon energies. Photon relative penetration and attenuation for relevant energies of the spectra were the principal experimentally determined quantities for tested PPE. Monte Carlo simulations in the MCNPX™ code were carried out to determine photon attenuation for respective energies in the tested PPE, and the results were compared to those determined experimentally. Energy depositions in a unit volume of an ORNL phantom were simulated in a radioactive aerosols atmospheric environment to determine effective doses both for the whole body and in various organs in the human torso during exposure to different dispersed radioactive aerosols while wearing one of the PPE protecting against X- and gamma-ray. This work aimed to determine the effective dose and its decrease for individual PPE protecting against X- and gamma-ray.

The combination of electrospun nanofibers and nanoparticles is opening up potential in the field of nanocomposite materials. This paper presents a composite electrospun nanofibrous material for X-ray shielding purposes consisting of a polyvinyl butyral polymer matrix and bismuth oxide nanoparticles. The organic−inorganic composite nanofibers considered in this paper, produced via the ex situ approach, attained a high content of nanoparticles of up to 95 wt %. The high content of nanoparticles inside the composite nanofibers was acquired via the application of the highly productive needleless electrospinning method. The resulting material is flexible and has a high drape and good air and steam permeability. The content of particles in the nanofibers was proved by the thermogravimetric analysis, and the homogeneous distribution of particles inside the nanofibers and within a whole nanofibrous layer was demonstrated via energy dispersive spectroscopy-scanning electron microscopy. In addition, samples of the composite electrospun nanofibers were tested for cytotoxicity, which revealed that the nanofibers were cytocompatible in all concentrations. The radiation attenuation properties of the samples were investigated via X-ray and γ-ray spectral measurements at a narrow beam geometry. The principal experimentally determined quantity for the tested samples was X-and γ-ray attenuation for the considerable energies of the spectra. The mass attenuation coefficients were calculated for the final composite electrospun material, which was supplemented by a composite nanofibrous material covering layer. With respect to photon energies higher than 40 keV, the attenuation coefficients were observed to be comparable with a commercially produced anti-radiation vest, which had a similar mass density as both the final composite electrospun material and the covering layer. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in the FLUKA code were conducted to determine the photon attenuation for the respective energies in the tested samples. The results were compared to those determined experimentally, and the MC model was verified.

For experiments with dispersed radioactive aerosols in a radon-aerosol chamber (RAC), it is desirable to know the activity of the radioactive aerosols applied in the RAC. A COLIBRI TTC survey metre with an SABG-15+ probe (Canberra, USA) was purchased for this purpose. The probe is designed for surface contamination measurements, and it is intended to measure the activity of aerosols deposited on the filters during experiments in the RAC. Since the probe is calibrated in a different geometry, its response in the authors' experimental geometry was simulated by a Monte Carlo method. The authors present a Monte Carlo model using MCNPX and an experimental verification of this probe model.

Metal oxides based on bismuth are considered to be potentially attractive candidates for developing new materials for radiation protection. In combination with electrospinning technology, it is possible to obtain interesting nanofibrous materials with high content of metal oxides based on bismuth nanoparticles in uniform distribution. This paper focuses on the fabrication and basic analysis of electrospun nanofibrous materials containing Bi2O3 and LuBiO3 nanoparticles. The aim of the research was to optimized high nanoparticle concentration in nanofibrous material (more than 50 wt%) via conventional needless electrospinning technology with optimal nanofibrous material morphology and uniform particle distribution.