Lead has long been considered the most effective element to protect individuals from the harmful effects ofradiation. Hence, lead is used extensively for X-Ray shielding to attenuate excessive doses of radiation.

1. Benefits of Ecomass Thermoplastic
Compounds

2. Lead has long been considered the most effective
element to protect individuals from the harmful
effects ofradiation. Hence, lead is used
extensively for X-Ray shielding to attenuate
excessive doses of radiation. In X -Ray chambers,
the walls often contain lead sheets. Radiologists
view the patient through a leaded glass screen if
they are not in the same room;otherwise, they
commonly wear lead aprons, if they intend to
remain in the same room.
Radiation protection is classified into three
categories: occupational radiation protection
(protection of workers); medical radiation
protection (protection of patients); and public
radiation protection (protection of individual
members and public as a whole).Many
government regulatory bodieshave been formed
with the purpose of limiting the average
citizen’sexposure to radiation and ensuring a
secure radiation environment.

3. Radiation shielding is a means to control the amount and dose of radiation received by
introducing a material that helps to block transmittal of the harmful radiation waves.
However,different types of ionizing radiation interact with shielding materials in different
ways. In other words, to properly shield a radiation source, one must first understand what
type of radiation they are shielding and how that radiation interacts with and is affected by
various radiation shielding materials.
X-Ray shielding is best achieved by utilizing materialsthat contain atoms with heavy nuclei;
in other words, the denser the material the better. The advantage of high density materials
is due to the fact that a material’s absorption power is directly proportional to the weight
of the nucleus. Lead is the most commonly used metal for this purpose, because of its high
density and high atomic number, and because it is fairly cheap.
Of late, there have been increasingly strict regulatory policies regarding the use and sale of
lead products. These policies have come as a result of the rising health concern over the
use of lead as more and more studies have come out detailing the toxicity of lead and the
serious health risks that exposure to this mineral poses.
Ecomass technologies have helped industriesend these concerns by inventing eco-friendly
thermoplastic compounds that provide shielding 100% equivalent to lead, and which can
be molded into complex shapes to meet any design. Moreover, these radiation shielding
compounds do not contain any toxic constituents. Similar to the entire Ecomass product
line, their composite materials for x-ray shielding are RoHS compliant, do not contain any
lead compounds, lead, or any material deemed toxic by the EPA.

4. Ecomass thermoplastic compounds have the following advantages, in
comparison to lead:
They are non-toxic
They are injection mouldable
They have variable specific gravity
They can be custom formulated for specific
applications
They have superior physical properties
They help in reduction of secondary machining
and post-production costs
They are not subject to the rigorous standards
for use and disposal that lead is

5. These compounds have numerous lead replacement applications beyond just X-
Ray shielding, some of which include:
Replacement for lead wool and lead
paste(used for repairing of radiation shields)
Medical Imaging
Nuclear Medicine
X-Ray tube housings
Shipping Containers
Ballast Systems
Vibration Dampening applications where a
non-toxic, high-density, high strength material
is required

6. Mailing & Shipping Address
Ecomass Technologies
4101 Parkstone Heights Dr.
Suite 380
Austin, Texas 78746-7482
USA
Telephone
1-877-ECOMASS (877-326-6277)
toll-free in U.S.A.
Telephone: 512-306-0020
info@ecomass.com
Technical Sales and Support
Robert Durkee (ext 1) Ryan Dailey (ext 4)