Why is lead used in aprons

Total x-ray beam on-time for some fluoroscopy procedures can be minutes or more. The amount of scatter radiation near the source of x-rays i. For staff involved in fluoroscopy procedures, use of lead apron and thyroid shields is very important.

As stated above, consistent use of these shields reduces radiation exposure substantially, keeping staff dose as low as practical. Lead shielding is the process of using lead to provide protection from radiation to shield objects or people from different types of radiation particularly at x-ray labs so that the effective dosage is reduced.

Lead is particularly effective in stopping x-rays and gamma rays owing to its high atomic number resulting in high density. The most common way of lead shielding is using a leaded apron or a lead apron which is a kind of defensive clothing which acts a shield from radiation that often is experienced during x ray diagnosis.

It is made of an interior that consist of lead taking the shape of aprons used in hospitals. The exterior is made of thin rubber. It is extremely essential that reproductive organs are particularly protected with the rubber lead apron during x ray services as any DNA changes to egg cells or sperms may cause genetic defects to the child which may results in unnecessary and serious trouble for the child as well as its parents.

Even when in the right place, they can inadvertently obscure areas of the body a doctor needs to see — the location of a swallowed object, say — resulting in a need to repeat the imaging process, according to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine , which represents physicists who work in hospitals. Still, Dr. Around the same time, the Food and Drug Administration proposed removing from the federal code a s recommendation to use shielding.

A final rule is expected in September. In the coming year, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements , which gives guidance to regulatory bodies, is expected to release a statement supporting a halt to patient shielding.

However, experts continue to recommend that health care workers in the imaging area protect themselves with leaded barriers as a matter of occupational safety. Groups in Canada and Australia have endorsed the change, and a movement to abandon lead shields is underway in Great Britain, according to Marsh. Shielding is used for most of the 70, X-ray procedures performed annually at Lurie in a variety of settings, from orthopedics to the emergency department.

Kate Feinstein , chief of pediatric radiology. First, consider the amount of material needed to provide the same amount of protection as 0. At 60 keV 6. Multiplying by the thickness of 0. The amount of titanium needed to provide the same amount of shielding as 0. The result is 0. Thus, the thickness of titanium needed to provide the equivalent shielding of lead is This value may be misleading if one considers the weight of the apron.

The ratio of the weight of the titanium apron to a lead apron of the same size can be computed as the ratio of the density times the equivalent shielding thickness, i. A titanium apron would weigh about 6. The real advantage in using titanium is that it is not a hazardous material such as lead. Thus, if you are looking for a reduction in hazardous waste, the titanium aprons may be a good option.

Alternate nonhazardous shielding materials include bismuth, as its mass attenuation coefficient for 60 keV photons is greater than that for lead, and it is less dense than lead. The advantage of lead is and will remain that it is inexpensive.

My daughter needs several arm x rays. Should I ask for the rest of her body to be shielded when the arm x rays are being taken? All responsible authorities and expert bodies recommend that medically indicated x-ray exposures be performed as needed, on the grounds that the benefit of the diagnostic information provided greatly overrides any potential risk.

Further, there is no conclusive proof that medical exposures, as currently performed, harm anyone. Finally, the exposure required for an extremity x ray is extremely small. The x-ray beam is confined to the area being imaged. The exposure to the remainder of the body is too small to measure. Therefore, shielding of the subject's body produces no detectable difference in the amount of exposure received. How long does a lead apron need to be? Does it need to cover the femurs?

Does it need to be a wrap-around if I routinely have my back to the fluoroscopy table? The stochastic or cancer risks from low-level, low-dose-rate radiation exposure are based on the doses to various radiosensitive critical organs. The major critical organs include the gonads, breast, active bone marrow, lungs, thyroid, bone surfaces, and, to a lesser degree, various other organs in the trunk of the body.

Except for various regions of active bone marrow and the brain, which has a small associated risk from radiation exposure, nearly all the critical organs can be shielded by a lead apron that has a length to about mid-femur.

The bone marrow not shielded by a standard leaded apron is in the skull, cervical vertebrae, and long bones of the arms and lower long bones of the legs. With regard to types of leaded aprons, I strongly recommend a wrap-around or coat-type apron to reduce exposures to the bone marrow in the vertebrae and critical organs in the trunk when your back is toward the fluoroscopy unit. A very good option is a combination vest and skirt apron, which wraps around the body and distributes the weight across the shoulders and hips.

If the chances of damage to reproductive organs from x rays is so small, why do patients have to wear protective aprons? Leaded aprons are used for diagnostic x-ray procedures to protect those portions of the body that are not involved in the image.

The risk to the patient from diagnostic doses is very small and may even be zero. The apron is inexpensive and carries no discomfort or risk. Although it may be unnecessary for many very low-dose procedures such as chest or dental x rays, it is a prudent practice. From your question, I do not know if you are referring to protection for patients during radiological exams or for occupational workers. I will give you answers for both situations, but will not discuss the protection of the embryo or fetus.

For patients, the gonads may or may not be in the primary x-ray field. If they are not in the primary field, the radiation exposure drops off rapidly as dose will be due to x-ray tube leakage and scatter radiation only. In practice, the patient may be provided with a leaded apron anyway, because the staff has been trained to do that or to provide reassurance to the patient. For the situation where the gonads are in the primary radiation field, shielding should be employed as long as the areas of interest are not blocked by the shielding.