Studies of ionizing radiation shielding effectiveness of silica-based commercial glasses used in Bangladeshi dwellings

TLDR

Bangladeshi households are increasingly replacing traditional mud, bamboo, and wood homes with modern multistoried buildings that incorporate various types of glass for decorative and structural purposes. This study evaluates the protective and dosimetric performance of commercially available glass products against ionizing radiation. Four branded glass samples (PHP‑Bangladesh, Osmania‑Bangladesh, Nasir‑Bangladesh, and Rider‑China) of identical thickness and color were characterized by EDX, and their attenuation coefficients were measured with a well‑shielded HPGe γ‑ray spectrometer at 59, 661, 1173, and 1332 keV; half‑value layers, radiation protection efficiencies, and effective atomic numbers were calculated and compared to literature and lead. Rider‑China glass exhibited the most favorable shielding indices, and its effective atomic number matched that of the TLD‑200 dosimeter, indicating suitability for environmental radiation monitoring.

Abstract

Following the rapid growing economy, the Bangladeshi dwellers are replacing their traditional (mud-, bamboo-, and wood-based) houses to modern multistoried buildings, where different types of glasses are being used as decorative as well as structural materials due to their various advantageous properties. In this study, we inquire the protective and dosimetric capability of commercial glasses for ionizing radiation. Four branded glass samples (PHP-Bangladesh, Osmania-Bangladesh, Nasir-Bangladesh, and Rider-China) of same thickness and color but different elemental weight fractions were analyzed for shielding and dosimetric properties. The chemical composition of the studied material was evaluated by EDX technique. A well-shielded HPGe γ-ray spectrometer combined with associated electronics was used to evaluate the attenuation coefficients of the studied materials for 59 keV, 661 keV, 1173 keV and 1332 keV photon energies. A number of shielding parameters- half value layer (HVL), radiation protection efficiency (RPE) and effective atomic number (Zeff) were also evaluated. The data were compared with the available literature (where applicable) to understand its shielding capability relative to the standard materials such as lead. Among the studied brands, Rider (China) shows relatively better indices to be used as ionizing radiation shielding material. The obtained, Zeff of the studied glass samples showed comparable values to the TLD-200 dosimeter, thus considered suitable for environmental radiation monitoring purposes.