A Novel Design for Production of Efficient Flexible Lead-Free Shields against X-ray Photons in Diagnostic Energy Range

Background: lead-based radiation shields are widely used in radiology departmentsto protect both workers and patients from any unnecessary exposure to ionizingradiation. recently there has been a great deal of concern expressed about thetoxicity of lead. human lead toxicity is well documented. in that light, productionof environmentally-friendly lead-free radiation shields with less weight compared toconventional lead-based shields is a challenging issue. the aim of this study was todesign lead free flexible radiation shields for protection against x and gamma rays.methods: in this investigation, a wide variety of metallic compounds whichpotentially could be appropriate radiation shields, were studied. the monte carlocode, mcnp4c, was used to model the attenuation of x-ray photons in shields withdifferent designs. besides simulation, experimental measurements were carried out toassess the attenuation properties of each shielding design. on the other hand, majormechanical properties of this shield such as tensile strength, modulus and elongationat break were investigated.results: among different metals, tungsten and tin were the two most appropriatecandidates for making radiation shields in diagnostic photon energy range. acombination of tungsten (45%) and tin (55%) provided the best protection in bothsimulation and experiments. in the next stage, attempts were made to produce appropriatetungsten-tin-filled polymers which could be used for production of shieldinggarments. the density of this tungsten-tin-filled polymer was 4.4 g/cm3. the mcnpsimulation and experimental measurements for hvl values of this shield at 100 kvpwere 0.26 and 0.24 mm, respectively. on the other hand, this novel shield providesconsiderable mechanical properties and is highly resistant to chemicals.conclusions: the cost-effective lead-free flexible radiation shield produced inthis study offers effective radiation protection in a diagnostic energy range. thisenvironmentally-friendly shield may replace the traditional lead-based shielding garments.