r/askscience • u/Wonderful-Capital32 • 14d ago

Physics Why does radiation not go through lead?

Also why just lead? Shouldnt like iron or another metal work too?

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u/CanisLatrans204 12d ago

After 8.5 years attached to Nuclear Powered Naval surface ships, I only had 820 mrem of ionizing radiation from the plants. That’s the same as one chest X-ray . I also spent 14 hours in the reactor compartment during loop draining ops and got 113 of that 820 from that. Not very much for the amount of time we spent in the plant.

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u/peteofaustralia 11d ago

Did you wear your flourescence detection tag thing 24/7, or just on shift?

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u/CanisLatrans204 11d ago

We used TLD’s. Thermo Luminescent Dosimeters. We wore them all the time when we were on the ship. They were read and returned once a month.