Process Technology for Development and Performance Improvement of Medical Radiation Shield Made of Eco-Friendly Oyster Shell Powder

Abstract

As radiation-based techniques become increasingly important tools for medical diagnostics, medical professionals face increasing risk from the long-term effects of scattered radiation exposure. Although existing radiation-shielding products used in medicine are traditionally lead-based, recently, the development of more eco-friendly materials such as tungsten, bismuth, and barium sulfate has drawn attention. However, lead continues to be superior to the proposed alternative materials in terms of shielding efficiency and cost effectiveness. This study explores the feasibility of radiation shielding materials based on the shells of bivalve mollusks such as oysters that are discarded from aquaculture, thereby preventing them from going into landfills. In addition, a firing process for enhancing the shielding efficiency of the original material is proposed. Experiments show that shielding sheets comprising 0.3 mm thick layers of oyster shell achieve a shielding efficiency of 37.32% for the low-energy X-rays typically encountered in medical institutions. In addition, the shielding efficiency was improved by increasing the density of the powdered oyster shell via plastic working at 1200 °C. This raises the possibility of developing multi-material radiation shields and highlights a new potential avenue for recycling aquaculture waste.

Shell Waste Management and Utilization: Mitigating Organic Pollution and Enhancing Sustainability

“…Mollusc shells can be successfully turned into mixed-material medical radiation shields. The shielding sheets comprising 0.3 mm thick layers of oyster shell have a shielding efficiency of 37.32% for the low-energy X-rays, typically encountered in medical institutions [104].…”

The Development of a Composite Thin Film Barrier of Tungsten Fe3O4-rGO (FerGO) for the Radiation Shielding of Medical Personnel

“…Parts such as the hands are required to be sensitive to sensations, so diagnosis and treatment are carried out with exposure of the hands and other areas to medical radiation during surgery. In addition, existing shielding tools are made of heavy metal hazardous materials such as lead, and, due to their weight, they are difficult to use in practice, so they are changing to thin films and eco-friendly materials [ 7 , 8 ]. The most used materials are tungsten, barium sulfate, and bismuth oxide, which are produced in the form of materials such as fibers, sheets, and plates [ 9 ].…”

Modification of Polyvinyl Chloride Composites for Radiographic Detection of Polyvinyl Chloride Retained Surgical Items

“…The alternative to this external method is the application of so-called radiopaque agents within medical plastic items. The composition of these agents is frequently based on iodine, barium, bismuth, gold, and tungsten [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. The agents -quite often in the form of nanoparticles- can be either mixed with the polymer during the manufacturing process at a specific ratio or infused into the manufactured polymer by organic solvent treatment [ 13 , 15 ].…”