A Guide To Lead Lined Doors
Amongst the many safety requirements for hospitals and other healthcare facilities, protection from radiation in certain environments is vitally important. Specially designed and manufactured lead lined doors play a major role in providing essential protection for medical professionals, patients and visitors alike – here are some aspects of this important safety element for you to consider:
Lead Lined Doors
Lead lined doors are used in the healthcare sector to isolate the transmission of radiation generated from different sources such as X-rays. The density of the lead used in the manufacture of lead lined doors, along with the flexibility, stability and the high atomic number of the material, provides an effective method of shielding different sources of radiation such as nuclear radiation and gamma rays as well as X-rays, therefore making them ideal for protective doorsets in certain environments.
How Lead Lined Doors Work
The lead offers comprehensive protection against radiation – with X-rays, for example, which produce electromagnetic radiation which passes through the body, the energy is absorbed in different rates by different body parts. The lead doors offset the X-rays with a proportion of the radiation absorbed, with the remainder that escapes the other side, so the thicker the lead lining the greater the absorption of harmful X-ray radiation.
Where Lead Lined Doors Are Used
You will find lead lined doors predominantly deployed in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, but also in other environments where X-rays may be used – veterinary surgeries for example – along with industrial facilities such as nuclear plants. Lead lined doors can be manufactured on a bespoke basis to suit every environment depending on the level of radiation protection required for the facility. The installation of lead lined doors doesn’t have to produce an “industrial” appearance though – they can be manufactured with finishes such as different laminates, PVC’s, wood veneers, or paint finishes that complement any interior design.
Other Benefits
As well as the important radiation protection provided by lead lined doors there are other protective benefits to their installation. The robust nature of these doors mean they can act as ideal internal security doors as well as providing additional fire safety. In the event of a fire outbreak, the thick-lined doors offer greater resistance to all the harmful effects of fire such as flame, heat, and the potentially fatal smoke, than standard doors can provide. Lead lined doors are ideal as hospital fire doors to provide this added security and fire protection as well as the radiation safety – whilst also providing greater noise reduction between spaces, which can also be of benefit in a hospital environment.
Cost
Lead lined doors can be manufactured at a very reasonable cost, which will be dictated by the thickness of the lead panelling required, the type of finish you want, and dimensions of the door frame and the door itself. Different levels of thickness will be required for different applications and environments. For doors that are to be installed in healthcare or veterinary facilities they must also meet the latest hygiene regulations for infection control.
Expert advice on doors for healthcare
We’ve seen that there’s an awful lot to think about when you’re considering doors for healthcare, and as usual it’s vital that you talk to the experts.
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