A team from the University of Waterloo in Canada has developed a light, flexible polymer material to serve as a substitute for the heavy lead X-ray aprons used in healthcare and other radiation-exposed environments.

The material offers comparable radiation shielding performance while weighing 90% less than traditional lead-based protective garments. The team added that the new material attempts to address ergonomic and environmental concerns associated with the long-term use of lead shielding.

Source: University of Waterloo/Nicola Kelly

Lead aprons are typically used in medical imaging to protect both staff and patients from ionizing radiation. However, their weight can cause musculoskeletal strain during prolonged use. Additionally, as the aprons age, they also tend to release lead particles, thus creating potential health risks via inhalation or ingestion.

As such, the Waterloo team developed the new shielding material using tungsten as the primary shielding component. They chose tungsten due to its high atomic density, which makes it effective at attenuating X-rays, thus enabling it to provide protection without having to rely on lead.

The team processed tungsten into nanoparticles and dispersed them within a flexible silicone-based polymer. The nanocomposite sheets produced were created to maintain flexibility while simultaneously preserving shielding performance.

To prevent the material from becoming too rigid, the team arranged the nanoparticles in gradients. Further, the team discovered that rod-shaped nanoparticles offered the most effective X-ray blocking characteristics.

“Our research shows that radiation shielding does not have to rely on toxic, heavy materials such as lead,” the team explained. “By engineering the size, shape, arrangement and distribution of nanoparticles within flexible polymers, we can achieve excellent X-ray protection while dramatically reducing weight. This opens the door to safer, more comfortable shielding materials for health-care workers and others who are routinely exposed to radiation.”

In addition to medical imaging, the team explained that the material could potentially be adapted to shield against other forms of radiation, including gamma rays used in the nuclear energy sector, or to potentially reduce exposure to electromagnetic waves produced by consumer electronic devices.