Lead can effectively attenuate certain kinds of radiation because of its high density and high atomic number; principally, it is effective at stopping gamma rays and x-rays.
because of lead's density and large number of electrons, it is well suited to scattering x-rays and gamma-rays. these rays form photons, a type of boson, which impart energy onto electrons when they come into contact. without a lead shield, the electrons within a person's body would be affected, which could damage their dna. when the radiation attempts to pass through lead, its electrons absorb and scatter the energy