Conventional and new lead-free radiation shielding materials for radiation protection in nuclear medicine: A review

Gamma ray is an energetic ionising radiation that can damage living cells as it slows down and transfers its energy to surrounding cells. Lead and concrete have been used as radiation shielding materials. However, it shows that lead toxicity is an important environmental disease and its effects on the human body are devastating. Thus, there is an urgent need to find a sustainable radiation shielding material to safeguard the human and the environment from destructive impact of radiation. High atomic number and high-density materials such as tungsten and concrete are the best effective characteristics of radiation shielding materials. There are numerous experimental and theoretical works were performed on radiation shielding materials. This paper presents a review on the application of lead as radiation shielding material, current safety issues related to lead, current work on radiation shielding material and recent development of new lead-free shielding materials in nuclear medicine.