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Green / LEED Certification

Lead's Green Facts and Aspects


Lead is one of the oldest and most durable building materials and has been known to last for more than 500 years.

Lead is by far the most efficient and typically most cost effective shielding material. It takes much less area volume (thickness) to properly shield and far less shielding material expense costs (compared to other metals, composites, metallic polymers or "lead-free" shielding materials) for shielding medical diagnostic x-ray and ionizing gamma radiation protection. Lead is the dependable pure metal standard that all conventional radiation shielding is based on and which all other materials and composites are compared to for establishing a shielding attenuation value.

Other shielding alternatives can deteriorate and potentially fail within 20 years or less. The manufacturing methods and materials used result in early replacement. This means they potentially have both a negative cost and environmental impact.

There is an established scrap lead salvage and recovery network in the U.S. that ensures constant recycling. When compared to virtually all other products, including metallic polymers or composite materials used as a shielding substitute, lead's recovery rates are dramatically higher in Western countries. In the U.S., more than 98% of lead used in construction is recycled.

Lead is 100% recyclable after every use. It never deteriorates no matter how many times it is recycled, retaining all the natural qualities that attract architects, physicists and engineers to it in the first place.

Properly recycling lead uses far less energy than the mining and smelting process involved in its initial production. The lower melting point during the recycling process delivers impressive energy saving efficiencies, making reclamation cost effective and environmentally desirable.

Three million tons of lead is produced worldwide each year by simply recycling scrap lead from construction, shielding, roofing, pipes and batteries. In the western hemisphere, more "new" lead is produced by recycling than by new mining, thus preserving our precious resources.

Specifying lead shielding will also help keep other materials—some of which are much more difficult and expensive to recycle—from entering the ecosystem where they may end up in our landfills.

Research studies show that synthetic materials developed as a potential alternative to lead, such as metallic polymers and composite materials, have significantly higher impacts on global warming during their manufacturing process.

Contact Us to Learn More About LEED Certification with Ray-Bar's Superior Radiation Shielding Products

If you need high-performance radiation protection, Ray-Bar Engineering is your solution. For over 80 years, customers have trusted Ray-Bar's X-ray glass and our other high-quality shielding products to provide superior life and safety  protection in medical, hospital and industrial NDT environments. With a complete line of radiation shielding products, we can provide the proper materials to completely meet your all of your facility's specific requirements.

Request a quote or contact us today to learn how Ray-Bar can help you achieve your radiation safety requirements. To view our full line of radiation protection materials and other related products, visit Ray-Bar Engineering Corporation. Ray-Bar is your single stop full service source for industry-leading radiation shielding products and solutions.