How to Shield Your Body Against Harmful Radiation Exposure

Radiation has a huge number of applications in medical, research, and industrial settings, but it’s important to shield your body if you’re frequently exposed to this type of energy.

There is no single step that will completely shield your body from harmful radiation. Instead, protecting yourself takes a combination of steps, which include wearing safety equipment, following safety best practices, and ensuring that there are barriers in place to reflect direct as well as scattered radiation.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to shield your body against radiation.

 

6 Tips to Shield Your Body Against Harmful Radiation

First, it’s important to understand that radiation shielding does not consist of avoiding all exposure. Instead, this process focuses on reducing exposure to safe levels and ensuring that there is monitoring in place to monitor radiation levels closely.

Additionally, you should adhere to a principle known as ALARA, which stands for As Low As Reasonably Achievable, to help keep radiation exposure within safe levels. In the next sections, you will find tips to help you follow the ALARA principle as well as additional best practices to help keep you safe.

 

1. Use Appropriate Radiation Protective Equipment

When it comes to body shielding, the first and most important step is to wear the right type of radiation apparel. Radiation apparel is a type of protective personal equipment (PPE) designed to protect you against gamma, alpha, and other forms of radiation.

Wearing PPE like aprons, thyroid shields, caps, and other specialized apparel can help reduce radiation exposure to safe levels and contribute to a safer work environment.

 

2. Adequately Clean and Maintain the Radiation Apparel

Cleaning and hygiene are essential topics when learning how to protect your body from radiation. Radiation can contaminate the dirt, sweat, and other particles that sit on your PPE, so it’s important to clean your apparel after every use with appropriate cleaning products.

You should also inspect your apparel regularly and ensure that it does not have cracks, tears, or other damage compromising the protective integrity of each piece.

 

3. Limit Exposure Time as Much as Possible

When researching how to protect the body from radiation, one of the simplest and most effective strategies is limiting exposure time.

The less time you spend near the radiation source, the smaller your cumulative dose will be. Take the time to plan tasks efficiently and avoid lingering in radiation areas unnecessarily.

 

4. Maximize Distance from the Source

Radiation weakens significantly with distance, so even small steps backward can make a big difference. You can greatly reduce exposure without additional effort by simply putting space between yourself and the source.

Whenever possible, use remote tools, shelter behind lead barriers, and position yourself at a safe distance to maintain protection while still completing your procedure or process.

 

5. Use Protective Barriers for Additional Shielding

If you’re asking, “how can I protect my body from radiation?” protective barriers have to be part of the answer.

Walls, shields, or specialized screens help block and absorb radiation before it reaches you. Positioning yourself behind these barriers ensures that both direct and scattered radiation is intercepted, but remember that these should be used along with other PPE.

 

6. Follow a Radiation Protocol that Includes Dosimeters

You can’t always feel or see radiation, which is why consistent monitoring is essential. Following a protocol that includes dosimeters will help you determine exactly how much radiation you’ve absorbed. These small devices track your exposure levels, helping you stay within safety limits, maintain a clear record of your protection history, and take breaks from exposure when necessary.

 

Why Should You Protect Against Radiation Exposure

Exposure to a high dose without the right equipment can lead to radiation poisoning, even if it’s a one-time occurrence. This can result in illness, radiation burns, and organ failure, among other severe symptoms.

At the same time, cumulative exposure can also cause the development of different types of cancer. Therefore, it’s essential to wear protective equipment whenever you’re exposed to radiation, even if it’s at relatively low levels.

 

Things to Know About Radiation Shielding

Before we cover some of the materials that shield from radiation, it’s important to understand linear attenuation and stopping power because they both play a key role in determining exposure.

 

Linear Attenuation

Linear attenuation refers to the phenomenon where radiation intensity decreases as it passes through materials. Denser elements have greater attenuation, while thinner materials do not have as much attenuation. In other words, a concrete wall will have much more attenuation power than a curtain made of linen.

 

Stopping Power

Stopping power refers to the ability to reduce the energy of charged particles, like protons. Rather than being dense, materials with a high stopping power have a high atomic number, like polyethylene, water, and liquid hydrogen.

 

Lead Protective Equipment: The Highest Standard in Radiation

Lead is the gold standard when it comes to radiation protection because it’s very dense, while also being malleable enough to be used in vests, aprons, thyroid shields, and other PPE.

Not only this, but the design of the PPE you wear will play a key role in the protection of your vital organs. The best way to ensure the apparel you obtain is designed properly is to get your equipment from a renowned provider with years of experience in the industry.

Lastly, there are also light-weight lead composites as well as alternative materials such as tungsten that provide equivalent protection to lead, but do not contain this heavy metal.

 

Get the Best Protective Apparel for Your Facility

It’s essential to appropriately shield and protect your body whenever you come in direct contact with radiation. You can safeguard yourself by wearing protective personal equipment designed for radiation, cleaning this protective apparel, limiting exposure time, and following the other tips we outlined above.

There are many materials that can shield from the different types of radiation, but lead is the gold standard. Wearing lead apparel or PPE with equivalent attenuation will help protect your vital organs and help prevent the development of cancer and similar conditions.

At Barrier Technologies, we specialize in manufacturing high-quality radiation PPE for medical and other applications. If you need help selecting the best PPE for your facility, contact our team to consult with a radiation protection specialist today.