Having worked in the nuclear industry, I have some experience of Barium
Plaster. Yes, the barium is the radio-opaque nuclide in this plaster.
Several other plasters have been tried in the past - including
lead-dust-filled and iron-dust-filled plasters. The only one which
really worked well, however, was barium. It is extremely hard work to
put up (being, of course, very dense), and very stiff to work (more like
clay than plaster). I believe that shielding panels are used in
preference to masonry shielding these days - being moveable, reusable
and localised as needed.
Barium concrete, as has been supposed, was used in biological shielding
in the nuclear industry - but suffers the drawback that it is relatively
weak. It is aimed at shielding the gamma radiation rather than anything
else. In recent years, I believe that the approach to shielding has
been to add inches to concrete, rather than increasing its density.
Andrew Hurrell wrote:
>>A web search suggests both were/are used in the medical profession.
>>
>>
>
>Is the Barium important in absorbing radiation?
>
>Andrew H
>
>
>
>
>
|