Lead has long been considered "the element of choice" for radiation shielding due to its attenuating properties. Lead is a corrosion-resistive and malleable metal. Lead's high density (11.34 grams per cubic centimeter) makes it an effective barrier against X-ray and gamma-ray radiation.
Historically, the attenuating qualities of lead made it “the element of choice” for radiation protection. However, advances in radiation shielding material technology have produced two alternative materials, lead composite and lead-free radiation shielding.
The most penetrating ionizing radiation (gamma rays and galactic cosmic rays) can pass through aluminum but is stopped by thick and dense material such as cement.
Testing showed that a nickel-cobalt-iron-chromium-manganese mix and a nickel-cobalt-iron-chromium-palladium mix are by far the most radiation tolerant.
Alpha particles can be stopped completely by a sheet of paper. Beta particles travel appreciable distances in air, but can be reduced or stopped by a layer of clothing, thin sheet of plastic or a thin sheet of aluminum foil.
Gold, a high Z material, is capable of absorbing radiation at significantly higher rates than tissue.
Earth's magnetic shield protects us from the cosmic radiation and is strongest at the equator and weakest near the poles. The magnetic shield diverts most of the radiation around the earth. Earth's atmosphere shields us from most of the remaining radiation that travels to Earth.
Current spacecraft have multiple bumper shields of thin aluminium sheets, a net of Kevlar and epoxy (materials high in hydrogen that are also used in military and fire-fighting gear), and air gaps in between to slow down radiation particles.
Abstract. Lead and plastic are commonly used to shield beta radiation. Radiation protection literature is ubiquitous in advising the placement of plastic first to absorb all the beta particles before any lead shielding is used.
Certain extremophiles, such as the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans and the tardigrades, can withstand large doses of ionizing radiation on the order of 5,000 Gy.
Effective on Shields; Neutral on Flesh; Weak on Armor.
At 2 micrometres in diameter, Deinococcus Radiodurans can survive extreme radiation, and has been found thriving in many places -including the inside of nuclear reactor walls. This unique microbe is a type of ancient bacteria, surviving with no clear genetic affinity with any other bacterial lineage.
Steel : Radiation protection properties
They have excellent resistance to gamma radiation.
Similarly, many other materials, especially metals, are subject to neutron activation. A piece of steel containing small amounts of stable cobalt when irradiated with low energy neutrons will produce radioactive products from both the iron and the cobalt in the metal (as well as other possible species).
Hydrogen is the best material for shielding against space radiation as it has the highest density of electrons per nucleon and no neutrons. An effective radiation shielding material should be stable and withstand impacts that can be encountered in space. Hydrogen as a material is unstable.
The Earth's magnetic field protects the Earth from much of the radiation from the Sun by deflecting incoming charged particles towards the poles.
How to protect Mars colonists from radiation. One method of helping astronauts avoid the radiation on Mars is active shielding. For example, superconducting electromagnets could be used to create a powerful magnetic field to deflect the incoming charged radiation particles away, just as Earth's field does.
Gamma rays are a radiation hazard for the entire body. They can easily penetrate barriers that can stop alpha and beta particles, such as skin and clothing. Gamma rays have so much penetrating power that several inches of a dense material like lead, or even a few feet of concrete may be required to stop them.
Alpha particles can easily be shielded by a single sheet of paper and cannot penetrate the outer dead layer of skin, so they pose no danger when their source is outside the human body.
Soils are porous materials with high shielding capability to attenuate gamma and X-rays. The disposal of radionuclides throughout the soil profile can expose the living organisms to ionizing radiation.
Usually, concrete is used as a radiation shielding material. It is a popular building material because it is cheap, strong, and easily moldable. It is common for radiation shielding because of its high density and water content, making it a good barrier against radiation such as gamma rays.
While an underground shelter covered by 1 meter (3 feet) or more of earth provides the best protection against fallout radiation, the following unoccupied structures (in order listed) offer the next best protection: Caves and tunnels covered by more than 1 meter (3 feet) of earth.
Some gemstones are exposed to radiation to enhance or change their color. Topaz is the most commonly treated stone. Typically orange, topaz becomes blue after it has been exposed. Diamonds and other precious gems may also be treated with radiation.