Final answer:
A 0.5 mm lead equivalent gonad shield will reduce gonad dose by approximately 93%, as lead is an effective material for absorbing gamma rays and drastically reducing radiation exposure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The use of a 0.5 mm lead equivalent gonad shield will reduce gonad dose by approximately 93% percent. This is because lead is an effective absorber of ionizing radiation, including gamma rays.
Radiation shielding effectiveness depends on the thickness of the material and the type of radiation. Based on the provided reference information, which illustrates the relationship between lead thickness and radiation absorption, we can deduce that a double layer of 0.170-mm lead shielding (totaling a thickness of 0.340 mm) reduces the penetration of gamma rays (y rays) to one-fourth.
Extending this logic, as each additional layer of the same thickness would continue to reduce the penetration by half, it would take several layers to achieve a reduction to 0.100%; thus, a 0.5 mm lead shield would not block 100% but rather provide a significant reduction in exposure. Since the specific percentages are not provided in the references, this answer is based on standard radiation protection practices.