Radiation in varying forms has been developed and used in medical and industrial applications ever since the discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895. This increased with the pioneering work in the use of Radioisotopes for cancer treatment by Marie Curie in the early part of the 20th century.
X-rays and Gamma-rays are high energy forms of radiation used as an effective diagnostic and treatment tool.
Radioactive materials are naturally occurring substances in various forms used for diagnosis and treatment.
Both types of radiation sources are potentially dangerous and have to be used and contained to limit unnecessary exposure. Intentional irradiation of people, including in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, is required to be justified by balancing the potential benefits against the harmful exposure to ionising radiation.
Radiation protection is an essential requirement to protect all staff regularly working in the vicinity of the radiation source. This protection is also necessary to limit the level of radiation received by patients whilst ensuring effective diagnosis or treatment.
In simple terms X-ray and Gamma-ray radiation shielding can be achieved using any dense substance whilst the shielding of fast neutrons requires materials of a lower atomic mass and higher absorption cross section. This can include several common materials such as bricks, concrete, sand and steel.
Where space permits, concrete, to a carefully controlled density, is also the most cost effective shielding material for walls of high energy treatment units.
For all other applications sheet lead and associated compounds e.g. lead glass, lead PVC and lead acrylic (Premac®) are the most commonly used materials.
We also offer Premadex® as our unique neutron shielding material.
