The Radiation Attenuation Property of High-Density Polyethylene Doped with Zinc Oxide as an Alternative Gonadal Shield

Abstract

Background: The study investigated the radiation attenuation properties of high-density polyethylene doped with zinc oxide as an alternative to the commercially available gonadal shield in different concentrations. Methods: A Geiger Muller Counter was used to record the values per exposure, which were used to compute the Half Value Layer, and were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The means of the HVL values from the three concentrations are 9.38±3.92, 7.84±2.53, and 8.62±1.77 for the HDPE and 125% of ZnO, HDPE and 100% of ZnO, and HDPE and 75% of ZnO, respectively. The mean radiation attenuation among the three concentrations is 0.21±0.03 for HDPE and 75% ZnO, 0.19±0.06 for HDPE and 100% ZnO, and 0.27±0.07 for HDPE and 125% ZnO. After the One-Way Repeated-Measures ANOVA, it was found that there was no significant difference between the means of the radiation attenuation of the HDPE doped with ZnO radiation shields and the lead shield: F (3,12) = 2.158, p = 0.146. In addition, a supplemental survey revealed that the shields were generally well-received in terms of their comfortability and wearability. Conclusion: Overall, the HDPE doped with ZnO radiation shields could attenuate a significant amount of radiation, suggesting its potential to be an alternative to a lead radiation shield.

Keywords

• radiation shielding
• half-value layer
• high-density polyethylene
• zinc oxide