Lead glass

The material that protects against radioactive radiation

The main attribute of lead glass is the ability to shield against radiation. Glass containing lead is often used as protective shielding against X-rays, among other places in dental clinics.
The glass is especially useful when you need to observe processes which involves radiation.

As standard, we can supply protective lead glass in thicknesses up to 11-13 mm with a lead equivalent of 3.5 mm at an X-ray voltage of 150 kV. If thicker glass is desired, this is done on special order, and a longer time of delivery must be expected.

Lead glass can be processed to size with various holes and shapes. The glass cannot be tempered – neither chemically nor thermally. However, it is possible to laminate the glass and make it a safety glass.

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Facts about Lead Glass

  • protects against radioactive radiation
  • Slight yellowish tint (depending on the thickness of the glass)
  • Can be cut to size
  • Can be used as safety glass using lamination
  • Fast delivery on thickness up to 13 mm

Properties and functions

Glass containing lead shields against radiation. Depending on the thickness of the raw glass, different levels of protection can be achieved.

Lead glass contains approx. 48% lead. The glass is transparent, but has a faint yellowish tone that increases with the thickness of the glass. The thicker the glass, the less transparency in the glass.

The glass’s ability to protect from radiation is called “lead equivalence” and refers to the thickness of a lead plate with equivalent protection. The higher the lead equivalent, the more protection. The lead equivalent is affected by the voltage on the X-rays, so it may be necessary to increase the thickness of the glass to achieve the desired protection.

For example, a lead glass with a thickness of 7-8.5 mm will have a lead equivalent of 2.1 mm at an X-ray voltage of 150 kV. If the voltage is increased, the lead equivalent decreases.

Why lead glass is an important material

Although radiation is used to diagnose and treat various types of diseases, continuous exposure to X-rays is not harmless to humans. For ordinary patients who are only exposed to this kind of radiation, the few times they may be x-rayed in their lives, the problem is not so great. But for an X-ray photographer or a researcher who works with radiation in their daily work, there is of course a much greater risk of permanent damage to the tissue. It is therefore important that these people are properly protected with leaded glass and other technical measures.

The eyes in particular, which are among the most exposed organs on the body, are important to protect. And although the radiation cannot be immediately felt in any way, this does not mean that some inappropriate things do not happen to the body. The radiation that occurs via X-ray photography is strong enough to affect the stability of atoms. And that is why it is precisely important to safeguard against the influence of rays through some panes of leaded glass and/or special types of glasses, even if you naturally try to reduce the spread of radiation in this kind of process.

Lead equivalence is the ability to protect humans from harmful radiation

Lead glass contains approx. 48% lead. The glass is transparent, but has a faint yellowish tone that increases with the thickness of the glass. The thicker the glass, the less transparency there is in the glass.

The ability of the glass to protect against radiation is called lead equivalence and refers to the thickness of a lead plate with equivalent protection. The higher the lead equivalence, the more protection the glass provides. The lead equivalence is affected by the voltage of the X-rays, so it may be necessary to increase the thickness of the glass to achieve the desired protection.

For example, a lead glass with a thickness of 7-8.5 mm will have a lead equivalence of 2.1 mm at an X-ray voltage of 150k V. If the voltage is increased, the lead equivalence decreases.

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