Tungsten Medical Radiation Shielding

Tungsten Medical Radiation Shielding

Tungsten alloy is ideal for medical radiation shielding against X-rays and gamma radiation. The very high density of tungsten medical radiation shielding (more than 60% denser than lead) allows a reduction in the physical size of shielding components, without compromising their rigidity or the effectiveness of the shielding characteristics. 

Tungsten heavy alloy medical radiation shielding is used in applications such as collimator, nuclear shielding, beamstop, PET syringe shield, vial shield, isotope container, FDG container, multi leaf collimator etc.

Brachytherapy: when it is difficult to access the diseased cells directly, it is possible to use an alternative type of radiotherapy, known as afterloading (a version of brachytherapy). This technique consists of implanting a radioactive seed inside the patient's body, via a catheter. Before and after treatment the seed is kept in a large tungsten safe, to protect the patient and medical staff from radiation. 

Positron emission tomography (PET) is one of the nuclear medicine techniques available for diagnostics. Whilst X-rays provide information on the structure of the body, PET shows the chemical function of a particular organism. PET involves the injection of FDG (a glucose-based radionuclide) from a shielded syringe. As the FDG travels through the patient’s body it emits gamma radiation that is detected by a gamma ray camera, from which the chemical activity within cells and organs can be seen. Any abnormal chemical activity may be a sign that tumors are present.