Abstract:

BACKGROUND: With development of modern science, various high energy rays, which are widely applied for military affairs, communication, medical science, and daily life, directly cause increasing of radiation dose annually. Therefore, image quality and radiation protection attract more and more attention. Radiation protection plays an important role in modern medical science. For protecting human health, protection tools are necessary for shielding varying rays and microwaves.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize mechanism, classification, characteristics, and research status of radiation protection materials.
METHODS: Articles were retrieved from PubMed database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed) and Wanfang database (http://www.wanfangdata.com.cn) with the key words of “shielding materials, shielding mechanism, protection, classification” from 1982 to 2010. Inclusion criteria: Articles related to shielding mechanism, classification, characteristics, and research status were included. Duplicated papers were excluded. Among 23 articles, 16 ones were included in the final analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Shielding materials absorbed rays depending on energy absorption and particle absorption. Medical ray protection materials included organic glass, compound protection materials mixed by a certain ratio of lead, wolfram, and barium, and varying radiation protection clothing. With the development of science and technology, adverse effects induced by various radiations should be relieved, so protection materials and techniques need to be further studied for clinical application.