Most shields have a warrantee of about five years, but some shields have been found to last 15 to 20 years or even longer.


Recycle Options
Let's say a clinic decides to get rid of its MRI for whatever reason and the shielding is no longer needed. Holder says that the material shouldn't just be thrown into a dumpster, because it has value.

"Some of it is sold for scrap," he says. "Copper in particular has a high resale value."

Some shielding can also be moved and continue serving the user in the new location, although you have to determine if the value of tearing it down, transporting and putting it back up with the possibility of damage is worth the risk.

"There are portions of the shield that can be reused. As a clinic or imaging center consolidates or moves, some components can be salvaged. It goes back to warranties and what you purchased, how recyclable the designs are," Krachon says. "The doors and windows, if maintained properly, can be used in a new setting. Copper panels can be relocated and may be put in place with new panels that would match the configuration of the new area. The challenge is in protecting them when moving from one site to the next."

Turner says that RF shield floors should never be used again because of wear and tear. "Walls and ceilings for the most part can be reused unless the customer purchases a wallpaper type of shield where they take material and staple it up to plywood or walls and ceilings," he says.


Choosing What's Best for You

"It is important to use a shielding company with experience who can provide a resume displaying past projects completed of a similar size. The shielding company should be familiar with the requirements of each MRI vendor as it pertains to the shielded enclosure and also be able to provide an enclosure that can be later modified to a different MRI system should there be a future upgrade," says Mike Newman of Universal Shielding Corp. "It is very important that the shielding company has its own staffed personnel perform the installation rather than companies that subcontract this work to independent installers."

General Contractors sometimes try to install shielded enclosures themselves or attempt to construct their own shields and many times they do not meet the MRI vendor's specification leaving the customer no recourse if the shield begins to fail.

Turner recommends when buying an MRI, you should perform an EMI study to detemine site suitability. Otherwise, if there are disruptive vibrations, you may incur unexpected costs.

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