Radiation attenuation by lead and nonlead materials used in radiation shielding garments

McCaffrey, J. P.; Shen, Haiou; Downton, B; Mainegra-Hing, Ernesto

doi:10.1118/1.2426404

Cited by 270 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

144

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Early studies of non-Pb materials were prompted by the desire to reduce the weight of protective garments and the possibility of improved shielding performance [7]. Non-Pb protective materials can lower the total mass of a similar sized garment, providing a decrease in the mass of the garment while providing equivalent or better protection [8].…”

confidence: 99%

Properties of a Some (Ag-Cu-Sn ) Alloys for Shielding Against Gamma Rays

Uosif¹

2014

IJAST

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study of radiation absorption in material is an important subject to protect living creatures and environment from harmful effect of radiation. The degree to which gamma radiation is attenuated is dependent upon the energy of the incident gamma radiation, the thickness of the shielding, the atomic number and density of the elements in the shielding material. In this respect, this study presents the attenuating properties of some (Ag-Cu-Sn Alloys) by using the Nation Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) XCOM code in the energy range (0.01 to 10 MeV).

show abstract

confidence: 99%

Properties of a Some (Ag-Cu-Sn ) Alloys for Shielding Against Gamma Rays

Uosif¹

2014

IJAST

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instances, bismuth containing composites are today widely applied as protective shielding in radiological CT scans. [5][6][7] Polymers are lightweight, conformable, flexible, and easy to process materials. Due to these properties, polymeric based mixtures are ideal candidates to produce thin and lightweight composites required to this application.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

P(VDF-TrFE)/ZrO2 Polymer-Composites for X-ray Shielding

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Poly(vinylidene fluoride -tryfluorethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] copolymers were mixed with zirconia nanoparticles. The investigation was conducted with the intention to produce nanocompounds with potential to be used as protective patient shielding in radiological procedures. Polymer based nanocomposites with 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 wt% of ZrO 2 nanoparticles were prepared using sol-gel route with zirconium butoxide as the precursor for zirconium oxide nanoclusters. UV-Vis and FTIR spectrometry and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize the composite samples. We observed a more homogeneous distribution of ZrO 2 nanoparticles encapsulated by methyl methacrylate (MMA) into the polymeric matrix, when compared to composites made without the use of surface modifiers from methacrylate group. Apparently, this property is related to the absence of the strong MMA absorption band at 1745 cm -1 , attributed to C=O bond, in the P(VDF-TrFE)/ZrO 2 -MMA nanocomposites. The radiation damage due to high dose exposuring was performed for gamma doses ranging from 100 kGy to 1,000 kGy. The radiation shielding characterization conducted using x-rays with effective energy of 40 keV has demonstrated that composites with 10% of ZrO 2, and only 1.0 mm thick, can attenuate 60% of the x-rays beam.

show abstract

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Most investigators have declined to measure the transmission of scattered radiation owing to concerns about x-ray tube loading and difficulties associated with measuring scattered radiation. One study did examine the performance of lead-composite aprons using scattered radiation from a 110 kVp fluoroscopy beam, 16 finding lead-composite garments to provide protection comparable to lead garments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the (f)utility of measuring the lead equivalence of protective garments

Jones

Wagner²

2013

Medical Physics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: Protective garments incorporating lead (Pb) or other moderate to high atomic number elements are a necessary radiation protection tool. However, as lead has been replaced by other elements, verifying manufacturers' claims regarding the lead equivalence of such garments has become nearly impossible, and current standards only require measurement of attenuation or lead equivalence at a single beam quality. A garment may provide a high degree of protection at the specified beam quality, but underperform at others. The authors sought to measure the lead equivalence of several protective garments and propose a better method for quantifying the protective value of garments. Methods: The authors measured the penetration of primary and scattered radiation through lead sheets and three protective garments of nominal 0.5 mm Pb equivalence, one lead and two lead-free. Penetration was measured using beams of nominal 60, 80, 100, and 120 kVp. Primary penetration through protective garments at 70 kVp was also measured. A lead-lined enclosure was constructed for measuring scatter penetration, as instruments must be protected from stray radiation when measuring low-level penetration of scattered radiation. Using polynomial least-squares fits to the measured data of penetration through lead sheets, the authors determined the lead equivalence of the protective garments across a range of beam qualities. Results: The lead garment was 0.5 mm Pb equivalent across all beam qualities evaluated. While the maximum lead equivalence of the lead-free garments did occur at the manufacturer-specified beam quality, neither garment was 0.5 mm Pb equivalent at the specified beam quality. The lead equivalence of the lead-free garments was a strong function of beam quality and nature of the radiation, i.e., primary or scattered. The lead equivalence of the lead-free garments in primary beams ranged from 0.40 to 0.47 mm Pb equivalent and in scattered beams ranged from 0.37 to 0.46 mm Pb equivalent. The penetration through one lead-free garment at 60 kVp was 478% higher than the penetration through the lead garment. The authors have also provided linear fits of radiation penetration through lead as a function of half-value layer. It is likely that assessment of protective value can be performed using primary beams matched to the spectra of scattered beams. The authors propose the diagnostic radiation index of protection (DRIP), a weighted sum of the percentage of radiation penetration across a range of beam qualities, as a more robust method for specifying the protective value of garments. Conclusions: The protective value of garments from both primary and scattered radiation is a strong function of beam quality. Assessment of the protective value should be performed across a range of beam qualities. Methods for performing such assessment must be developed and must specify beam qualities, measurement geometry, and the appropriate weighting across the beam quality range for different applications.

show abstract

Radiation attenuation by lead and nonlead materials used in radiation shielding garments

Cited by 270 publications

References 11 publications

Properties of a Some (Ag-Cu-Sn ) Alloys for Shielding Against Gamma Rays

Properties of a Some (Ag-Cu-Sn ) Alloys for Shielding Against Gamma Rays

P(VDF-TrFE)/ZrO2 Polymer-Composites for X-ray Shielding

On the (f)utility of measuring the lead equivalence of protective garments

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About