Radiation Protection Apron Market- Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The Radiation Protection Apron market is projected to register a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period 2022-2027.

As the COVID-19 pandemic started, the healthcare department was set back in the chronic disease diagnostics and treatment owing to the increased risk of infection. An article presented in the Nuclear Medicine Community in February 2021 showed that there was an up to 85% reduction in nuclear medicine scanning. Coming out of the first wave, the National Health Services (NHS) focused on bringing healthcare services to pre-COVID levels. The strategic administration of vaccinations around the world and social distancing measures have resulted in a reduction in the number of COVID cases, and radiation diagnostics and treatment are expected to return to normalcy.

The World Health Organisation(WHO), in its January 2022 note on Occupational hazards in the health sector, inferred that exposure to ionizing radiation might lead to skin and blood damage, cataract, infertility, birth defects, and cancer. The range of the health defects is proportional to the dose of radiation received. The WHO has also mentioned various protective, preventive measures to protect from radiation, such as the use of proper play shielding, protective barriers, safety interlocks, warning signs, and signals. Thus, the use of radiation protection equipment such as aprons and vests is important to protect from the harmful effects of radiation.

According to the National Health Services England Diagnostic Imaging Data Set Annual Statistics 2021, around 34.9 million imaging tests were reported in England for the year up to March 2021. X-Rays were the most common form of imaging with about 16.8 million procedures, followed by Diagnostic Ultrasonography with 8.2 million procedures, Computerized Axial Tomography with 5.6 million procedures, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging with 3 million procedures. Although there has been a reduction in the number of diagnostic imaging tests compared with the previous year, the numbers are expected to rise with the lift of the COVID-19 restrictions.

With a large number of imaging tests being conducted and the increasing number of healthcare professionals, the radiation protection apron market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Radiation Protection Apron Market Trends

The Diagnostic Shielding Segment is Expected to Hold a Major Market Share in the Radiation Protection Apron Market.

The Diagnostic Shielding aprons are a major fraction of the preventive measures used against the harmful effects of radiation. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), in its October 2021 article on Radiation in Healthcare, showed that various imaging procedures such as CT scans, bone density scans, mammograms, fluoroscopy, X-rays, and others are the most commonly used form of diagnostics which might help provide information on whether surgery would be a better treatment option or, can help guide medical procedures to place catheters, stents, or other devices inside the body. An article published in the journal of Cells in February 2022 studied the possibility of using ionizing radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. The study concluded that a CT scan could be used for the diagnosis of COVID-19 along with other measures.

A review article presented in the Indian Journal of Radiology Imaging discussed the effects of radiation doses in diagnostic radiology. The article inferred that the implementation of ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) had resulted in an increase in the number of Magnetic Resonance Imaging over Computerized Tomography scans. Another article presented in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute journal of Healthcare in November 2021 showed that the number of radiation diagnostics had almost doubled from the previous decade. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of imaging tests done was still high compared to that of the previous decade. The rapidly increasing number of radiological examinations has resulted in an increase in healthcare expenditure and greater population exposure to radiation. With the growing number of diagnostic imaging, the need for radiation protection equipment is on the rise.

Thus, the Radiation Protection Apron market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period.

North America is Expected to Hold a Significant Share in the Market and Expected to do Same in the Forecast Period (2022-2027).

The United States has a major role in the healthcare industry, with large volumes of investments in medical diagnostics and treatment. According to the US Food and Drug Administrations' (FDA)2021 overview on X-rays, about 7 out of 10 Americans would get a medical or dental imaging picture in the year 2021. An article presented in the journal of radiology in December 2020 showed the importance of radiology in the healthcare department in the United States. The article also suggested various measures that could be beneficial in the effect of radiology on therapeutic decisions, patient outcomes, and societal benefits. The rise in the awareness of the role of radiology and the increasing number of radiologists in the healthcare sector is expected to fuel the growth of the Radiation Protection Apron market in the forecast period.

Cancer is one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States. According to the GLOBOCAN 2020 report, the total number of people in the United States affected by cancer in 2020 accounts for around 2,281,658 cases. The number is estimated to rise to 3,123,452 cases by 2040. Radiation therapy is a commonly used treatment method to damage and destroys the cancer cells inside the body. The treatment focuses on the use of ionizing radiation to kill or shrink tumor cells. Healio, in its November 2020 report on the radiotherapy facilities in the United States, proposed that the number of radiation facilities increases from 1,987 in 2005 to 2,332 in 2020. The rise in the number of radiation therapy facilities, in turn, positively impacts the radiation protection equipment market.

Thus, the Radiation Protection Apron market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period in the North American region.

Radiation Protection Apron Market Competitor Analysis

The Radiation Protection Apron market is fragmented and competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, a few of the major players are currently dominating the market. Some of the companies which are currently dominating the market are AliMed, Amray Radiation Protection, Bar-Ray Products, Barrier Technologies, Bloxr Solutions, Burlington Medical, Kemper Medical Inc., Lite Tech, Protech medical, Shielding International, Trivitron Healthcare, Infab LLC (Velcro Industries B.V.), Wolf X-Ray and others.

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