What is the purpose of a shielding barrier?

• A. To reduce radiation stray from the source to other areas
• B. To increase shielding effectiveness
• C. To make shielding appear heavier
• D. To reduce radiation exposure to workers by absorption or scattering of radiation

Answer: (D)

The shielding barrier exists to protect people by reducing the radiation that gets through it. It does this mainly through absorption and scattering of the radiation in the barrier material, which lowers the dose reaching workers behind the barrier. Using dense materials and sufficient thickness minimizes both the primary beam and any scattered or leaked radiation, helping meet dose limits. While shielding also helps limit stray radiation to surrounding areas, the key idea is attenuation of radiation to reduce worker exposure via absorption and scattering.