PRODUCT TESTING
From the ideas of nuclear and particle physics of the last century with the modern knowledge of how radiation affects human tissue, the RayShield Series ® was developed on a solid theoretical background.
To approve and validate our theoretical calculations, we performed experimental tests at Lunds University’s fraction in Malmö, Sweden. The results presented are from our preliminary experimental tests which then are compared to the theoretical prediction of the current results. We aim to research deeper into radiation protection and thus further strengthen our results in the months to follow.
Protective Ability
Exploring the protective ability of the RayShield vest was performed by exposing the RayShield vest to radioactive isotopes of various energies. The attenuation and penetration were measured and calculated and then compared to results from exposing a phantom without protection and another phantom with a protective standard lead apron (currently used in Health Care).
Due to the composition of customized alloys and specialized materials, the RayShield vest was penetrated significantly less than a standard lead apron.
The figure below shows how the protection with the RayShield vest is significantly higher than the standard lead apron. It is also noticed, that for even the highest energies of gamma radiation, the protection is still above 10%, which is not seen in any other radiation protection today.
Risk of Lethal Effects
The deadly effects of radiation are calculated by comparing the dose associated damage, to specific vital organs in the body, to known morbid and lethal values of absorbed doses. Based on our preliminary experimental results, we find that if we compare the dose of gamma radiation needed to cause lethal effects, then the lethal dose is more than three times as high when wearing the RayShield vest. In the figure, the calculated probability of fatal effects is shown as a function of the delivered dose (in Gray [Gy]). It is noticed that the dose needed before the blue curve (wearing the RayShield vest) rises, is much larger than the other two.
Risk of Lethal Effects (Without Bone Marrow and Ovaries)
This RayShield vest protects all the vital organs, which is not the case for other protection types of equipment available at present, which for instance protects only the bone marrow focused in the hip region. Therefore we can compare the effects of the damage on organs without the bone marrow, and also here we find that the RayShield vest protects significantly more. In the figure, we see the probability of lethal effects to the all other organs than the bone marrow (and ovaries) as a function of the time one stays in a radioactive environment with activity 0.6 Gy/h. The blue curve shows the RayShield vest and is almost not rising, whereas the red curve, which represents available belt protection, after some hours starts to increase.
It should be noted that these results are based on only gamma radiation. But since beta radiation to some extent can penetrate the skin, the results would be even more severe, for the unprotected body, if beta and neutron radiation also were considered.
