MadSci Network: Physics |
Glass is really not a very good shield for most types of radiation. However, glass does block some forms of UVB radiation. These are the "rays" responsible for sunburns. This is why one doesn't get a sunburn through your car window. Also, many different coatings can be added to glass or plastic to also block the UVA radiation. There are some forms of leaded glass used for nuclear shielding applicaitons. Leaded glass has a density approximately three times that of more common glass, such as pyrex. The ability to shield one from radiation, such as gamma and x-rays, increases as the electron density in the material increases. So material density and atomic number "Z" are important material parameters. Leaded glass not only has a higher denisity but is composed of higher "Z" materials leading to a much higher electron density. To look up and compare the shielding one gets from various materials for x-rays try the following web site: http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/XrayMassCoef/cover.html
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