Talk:Radiation Suit/@comment-75.187.79.51-20150608213247/@comment-30079531-20161008233602

You don't make lead anymore, its found inside Limestone Outcrops.

Anyway, just about any material can block radiation, it just varies in how much based on the principle of 'half-value layers.'

Meaning that if you had a 1/2 inch steel plate and hit it with a fatal dose of 1000 rads (Not Fallout rads, doses this high can kill in minutes), after the radiation makes it through that plate, its now roughly 500 rads, so a 1 inch plate will make that 250 rads, 1.5 inchs - 125 rads, 2 inches - 62.5 rads, 2.5 inches - 31.25, 3 inches - 15.6125 rads, and so forth.

So if you have a hunk of Iridium-192 and need to shield it, which would seem a better option?

12.7mm (.5 inch) of steel, or only 4.8mm (.19 inch) of lead?

Obviously lead is a better choice, and while I think being able to wear a thick suit of solid steel may be helpful when dealing with nasty things like Reapers, it would be so damn heavy that you would die of drowning IF the suit didn't crush you first. Honestly it would almost be the size of the PRAWN Suit for you to be able to use it.

So next time, know that if it takes that much so shield you effectively from a radiactive source, using lead will help you live to see another day, rather than vomitting your stomach up underwater when inside the radiation zone with only a simple two layer rubber dive suit.