A Review of the Effectiveness of Shielding Curtains for Improving Radiation Safety Management of Electromagnetic Radiation in Diagnostic X-ray Rooms

During diagnostic radiography examinations, due to problems such as patient falls, the door between the examination room and the control room is often opened for quick action. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of curtain-type shielding for worker radiation protection. Shielding efficiency, weight, cost, and user opinions were analyzed for leaded, leaded rubber, lead-free shielding sheet, and chainmail. The results showed that the shielding efficiency was 97.7 % for the steel door, 97.5 % for the lead sheet, 97.0 % for the lead rubber, 96.0 % for the lead-free sheet, and 91.3 % for the chain mail, and the weight was 7,399 g for the lead sheet, 8,482 g for the lead rubber, 1,148 g for the lead-free sheet, and 8,127 g for the chain mail. The cost was $46.9 for the lead sheet, $126 for the lead rubber, $270.5 for the lead-free sheet, and $147.8 for the chain mail. Based on this, it is believed that shielding curtains can be used to provide both worker and patient safety by considering the conditions of diagnostic radiography rooms in each medical institution.