Lead castle

A lead castle is one of the movable elements with high absorption capacity - for example centimeter thick lead - composite construction for flexible shielding of radioactive sources. Advantages are the ability to adapt to small work spaces or variable shielding needs.

The tightness and shielding maximized with respect to variation of the lead castle for high activities and standardized work is the hot cell.

Nuclear Medicine

In nuclear medicine, a lead castle is usually part of the shield in the hot laboratory. The radionuclides used must be prepared prior to patient use, portioned and reared in syringes. To minimize the radiation exposure of the staff this is done behind a lead castle. The operator looks through a several centimeters thick leaded windows to the open-top field of work. Only the arms and hands of the operator are not protected from direct radiation.

Lead bricks

Lead castles are composed of mobile elements. Chevron -shaped overlap between superimposed and adjacent bricks minimize gaps between the blocks, which led to a lack of shielding in the region of the gap otherwise. For the uppermost and lowermost series lead bricks are provided which have no under-or notch on top.

In Germany the DIN 25407 regulates how these blocks ( and lead castles and hot cells in total ) should be interpreted.

Swell

• Google Books: Hans Joachim Hermann: nuclear medicine. 5th edition, Urban & Fischer
• DIN 25407-1, Shielding walls against ionizing radiation - Part 1: Building Blocks ( Issue June 2011)
• DIN 25407-2: Shielding walls against ionizing radiation - Part 2: Specific elements for lead shielding walls ( Edition July 2011)
• DIN 25407, Supplement 1: Shielding walls against ionizing radiation - Supplement 1: Instructions for the construction of walls Abschirmbausteinen ( Issue June 2011)

• Radiation Protection