What’s the alternative to lead bricks for radiation shielding?

11th November 2025

At a glance

> Traditional lead bricks are heavy, awkward, and can lead to lead contamination once protective coatings wear away through prolonged use.

> BriTec’s solid surface bench shields offer an effective alternative, delivering the same level of radiation protection without the hazards of uncovered lead.

> Shields are made to the end user's specifications and can also be produced in stainless steel to match existing equipment and benching.

BriTec’s solid surface and stainless steel encapsulated shields provide complete protection

Lead bricks have been the common solution for building temporary shielding in laboratories handling sources of ionising radiation. Bricks have been favoured because of their customisation and flexibility in allowing users to stack and shape them however they wanted.

However, bricks are heavy, awkward to handle, and because lead is a soft, malleable metal, the bricks can easily become dented or scratched. Through protracted use, protective coatings can wear away, leading to potential lead contamination of skin, clothing, and work surfaces. These issues not only compromise personal safety but also reduce the effectiveness of the shielding.

Customisable and effective shielding

BriTec’s solid surface bench shields offer an effective alternative to lead bricks. Designed with seamless surfaces, they deliver the same level of radiation protection without the hazards associated with uncovered lead. Shields can also be produced with a stainless steel finish to match existing equipment and benching.

Each shield is fully customisable, made to the end user’s specifications for size, thickness, and shape, providing a perfect fit for any laboratory environment. The seamless finish also makes the shields easy to clean and decontaminate, allowing sites to comply effectively with legal guidance such as IRR17.

Shielding a gamma counter

In the photos below, a PET pharmacy was using old lead bricks to shield a Hidex AMG gamma counter from a work bench where sources of radiation were handled. This was to limit background interference given the sensitive counting efficiencies of the counter. Working in partnership with Southern Scientific, BriTec was able to supply a customised stainless steel shield to provide effective protection that could be easily decontaminated.

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