Patent Number: 055481256
Section: description

EXAMPLE 1 A 0.33 mm thick flexible sheet of ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber containing 40% by volume of particulate tungsten metal (marketed by James Walker Co) was cut to form a pair of opposed glove shape pieces. The pieces of sheet were adhered at their peripheral margins or edges to form a seamed glove of the invention. The glove wall was sufficiently flexible to allow a volunteer wearer to bend the finger portions of the glove and to pick up and hold medical instruments without the exertion of undue force. The glove had radiation absorption capacity equivalent to 0.13 mm thickness of lead. The glove was therefore highly suitable for protecting the wearer from x-rays generated at 121 KVP and lesser voltages. EXAMPLE 2 A natural rubber composition containing 38% by volume of tungsten was compression moulded using heated glove shaded made and female moulds to form a glove having an average wall thickness of about 0.71 min. The glove wall was sufficiently flexible to allow a volunteer wearer to bend the finger portions of the glove and to pick up and hold medical instruments without the exertion of undue forces. The glove had radiation absorption capacity equivalent to 0.35 mm of lead. This absorption capacity was confirmed by x-ray photography by comparing the x-ray shielding provided by a sample of the glove with a 0.35 mm sheet of lead. The glove was therefore highly suitable for protecting the wearer from x-rays generated at 121 KVP and lesser voltages. EXAMPLES 3 A glove of the invention were made in same manner as Example 1 using a 0.55 mm thick flexible sheet of cross-linked ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber containing 40% by volume of particulate tungsten metal. The sheet layer also contained a paraffin based plasticiser (44% by weight of rubber) and silica reinforcing filler (15% by weight of rubber). The glove was sufficiently flexible to allow a volunteer wearer to pick up and hold medical instruments without undue force and had flexibility (as hereinbefore defined) of 0.476 mm. The glove had a radiation absorption capacity equivalent to 0.25 mm (at 60 KVP) thickness of lead. The % absorption values of sample layers was measured using x-rays generated at 60, 80 100 and 120 KVP and compared with % absorption values obtained 0.25 mm of lead using x-rays generated in the same range of beam values. The results were as follows: ______________________________________ Beam Voltage Absorption(%) Layer of (kvp) 0.25 mm lead Ex 3 ______________________________________ 60 98.5% 98.5% 80 95.2% 96.5% 100 91.3% 95.0% 120 88.8% 93.6% ______________________________________ The results show that the glove of Example 3 had a radiation absorbency capacity well in excess of 80%. Furthermore the results indicate that gloves of the invention have a higher radiation absorbing capacity to x-ray beams generated at voltages above 60 KVP and hence higher equivalent lead thickness than 0.25 mm thickness of lead.