Redesigning X-ray Armor

The new line of radiation-blocking medical garments

Heightened awareness of a need for better radiation safeguards for medical professionals is driving global demand for a new personal-protection technology called Demron-M.

Developed by Miami-based Radiation Shield Technologies (RST), Demron-M is an advanced radiopaque mixture of nano metals designed to provide ideal shielding for medical X-ray energies and to offer a distinct weight advantage over lead. The compound is fused between layers of fabric and manufactured into aprons and other garments, including non-woven disposable X-ray masks, forearm protectors, bras, vests, skirts, drapes, and gowns that provide total radiation protection.

Demron-M and the entire Demron product line – which has several U.S. and international patents – is made of liquid metal, so it’s lightweight and flexible. It’s also environment-friendly: lead-free and toxin-free, it may be washed, discarded and recycled. It has no disposal restrictions. In this way, Demron-M offers a significant alternative to traditional lead garments, which are considered dense, inflexible, and prone to cracking. Its flexibility allows for a wide variety of designs and uses. According to a recent issue of the The Spine Journal, Demron is the most lightweight material available for X-ray shielding.

For years, healthcare professionals and hospital administrators have been concerned about the harmful impacts of exposure to radiation, but they haven’t had access to protective gear that addresses all their needs in terms of safety, level of protection, ease of use, and long-term durability. As a surgeon and pain-management specialist, I was dissatisfied with traditional lead garments, which offer limited protection and are heavy, dense, and prone to cracking. I founded RST and developed Demron-M because I recognized the need for total radiation protection combined with ease of use, comfort, flexibility, and durability.

As the world’s only fabric of its kind scientifically proven to provide total shielding, Demron-M offers users maximum comfort and the peace of mind knowing they’re well-protected. Moreover, Demron-M garments can help medical facilities reduce costs because they’re durable, resistant to tears and cracks, and may be washed and reused. The product line includes:

• Demron-M Disposable Mask, the world’s first and only non-woven, disposable X-ray mask that provides total radiation protection.
• Demron-M Bra, the world’s first and only bra designed to reduce the transmission of radiation in patients undergoing brachytherapy for treatment of breast cancer. By wearing the bras, patients may be discharged home without the risk of exposing family members and others to radiation. The bra also may be used to reduce radiation exposure for women in high-risk environments.
• Demron Forearm Shield, a lightweight X-ray shield designed to protect clinicians’ forearms while they work with X-ray beams. Because it’s not always possible for clinicians to avoid X-ray exposure while performing procedures or holding patients, the forearm protectors provide much-needed attenuation from radiation – all without reducing clinicians’ mobility.
• Demron-M Drop-Off Flex Apron and Two-Piece Vest and Skirt, lightweight one-piece and two-piece garments that provide total radiation protection and enable clinicians to work comfortably for long periods. Used by physicians in operating rooms, the aprons have a drop-off feature that makes them easy to slip on or remove when working in sterile environments.

RST uses a wide variety of materials and molecular-size scales to optimize chemical and radiation attenuation properties across a large spectrum – for protection, durability, and chemical/biochemical resistance. The company uses numerous lead-substitute metal and metal-alloy complexes, integrated both mechanically, as well as by engineered molecular processes. It uses a proprietary blend of industrially available polymers, as well as in-house synthesized precursors and products for the Demron material.

Demron was originally developed to help protect healthcare workers and patients from the potentially harmful effects of radiation exposure in medical facilities. During the years of research and study regarding its applications within the healthcare field, it became apparent that the fabric had many applications in other industries, including the government, military, and even space travel. Demron, which began as an idea in 1998, developed over the years into six issued patents with more than 250 claims. Demron has been published in Scientific American, Spine Journal, and Journal of Engineering, as well as more than 10,000 articles online.

Demron has been successfully tested to block gamma rays and X-rays, as well as other nuclear emissions, by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., an applied science laboratory that is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration within the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as the Atlanta-based Georgia Institute of Technology and the New York City-based Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Experts at the U.S. Department of Defense proved its effectiveness in protecting against common chemical-warfare agents, such as mustard gas, VX nerve gas, and sarin.

In addition to their applications in the medical field, Demron products currently are deployed globally to provide total nuclear radiation-blocking, anti-chemical, and biological protection for members of the military, first-responders, HAZMAT teams, and police and fire-rescue personnel. Demron is used worldwide by NATO, NASA, the National Guard, U.S. Navy, United Arab Emirates, and the governments of South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, among others.

To that end, RST recently introduced Demron-W, the world’s only National Fire Protection Association 1994-2007 Certified Fabric for Protective Ensembles for first responders to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism incidents. Demron is used in full-body nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) suits, tactical anti-nuclear vests, high-energy nuclear suppression blankets, and medical X-ray vests and aprons. It’s also effective in radiation-proof tents, linings for aircraft and spacecraft, and covers for sensitive equipment.

Among other uses, scientists have selected the Demron technology for future thermo-mechanical suits used for space travel and space-station shielding. An article published in The Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance (JMEP), titled “Material Choices for Mars,” credits the patented technology for its light weight, flexibility, and radiation protection that surpasses the current NBC suits. Moreover, recent independent NASA studies confirm Demron’s ability to withstand high-vacuum conditions and extreme temperatures. Demron’s aerospace applications include gasketing, electrical insulation, and radiation-protection for instruments and equipment. More applications within the aerospace industry continue to emerge.

Demron is more lightweight, flexible, and impermeable to chemical- and biological-warfare agents than other available fabrics, so it may be used in jumpsuits for hazardous-materials emergency workers and first responders to disaster scenes. It helps emergency responders to more safely address such incidents as transportation accidents involving radioactive materials and terrorist activities involving radioactive dispersal devices or nuclear weapons. Moreover, the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) protective clothing currently worn by men and women in uniform offers no protection from penetrating ionizing radiation. Demron radiation-shielding garments may effectively be worn alone, or in conjunction with JSLIST protective clothing, to provide soldiers with the protection they need in specific radiological combat environments.

Just as important, Demron may be used to provide protection for civilians. Individuals living near nuclear power plants are at high risk in the event of nuclear accidents and emergencies. Demron suits, which are designed to slip on like jump suits, do not limit mobility or functionality during evacuation scenarios. Demron garments also provide psychological fear remediation as well as cooler core environments for those who wear them.

New uses for Demron continue to emerge every day. Following our recent launch of Demron-M at the November 2008 Radiological Society of North America 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, the global demand and interest from the medical community in this technology has surpassed our expectations and reaffirmed RST’s positioning in the field. As radiation protection remains a critical concern for the healthcare industry, medical professionals should remain abreast of the latest products that become available and also collaborate with the developers to create better ways to deploy these advanced technologies.

— Ronald F. DeMeo, MD, MBA, is president and chief executive officer of Miami-based Radiation Shield Technologies. For more information, visit www.radshield.com. Direct all other questions and comments to editorial@rt-image.com.