Characteristic X-ray spectra of materials containing heavy-metal components irradiated with gamma rays are measured. The samples are irradiated with photons with energies of 122.06 keV (85.5%) and 136.47 keV (10.7%) emitted by a cobalt-57 source and include tungsten, lead, and bismuth plates and a sample of a radiation-protective composite material. The characteristic radiation from the samples and incident photons passing through the samples are detected with a low-background gamma spectrometer based on a highpurity germanium (HPGe) detector. The measured intensity of the characteristic X-ray radiation from the protective material amounts to 10% of that of the primary radiation. The elemental composition of the radiation- protective material is determined by peak positions in the spectra of the characteristic X-rays from the samples of W, Pb, and Bi. The analyzed composite material features Pb as the dominant heavy component, whereby the primary photon radiation from the source is attenuated by a factor of 3.7. The density of the lead component in the protective material was determined.

A setup for investigating the radiation protection properties of materials used in the manufacture of special protective clothing is described. The setup contains a collimated γ-ray source, a detector based on NaI (Tl) crystal, a movable platform for examining large areas of a material, and a data acquisition system based on a digital signal processor. A procedure for measuring the surface density of all absorbing elements in a material from the attenuation of γ-rays over a wide range of energies is described.

Physical and medical data underlying design of protective garments effectively shielding the wearer from ionizing radiation are analyzed. A nondestructive radiation testing procedure used to check the radiation-blocking properties of lead-containing composite textile materials intended for manufacturing work clothing of firefighters at nuclear power plants is described.