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To improve a radiation shielding performance of the polymer composite, poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was composited with cadmium nitrate. Its radiation shielding capabilities of PVA/Cd(NO3)2 composite films were investigated at three different Cd(NO3)2 concentration levels: 5, 10, and 15% wt. The structural, thermal, and optical properties of the synthesized composite films were examined. The addition of cadmium nitrate to the polymer worsened its thermal stability and improved its optical energy band gap by lowering its direct bandgap energy from 4.56 to 3.25 eV for PVA and PVA/15 wt% Cd(NO3)2 films, respectively. The gamma-ray shielding capacity of the composite was examined using radioactive sources including 241Am (59.5 keV),57Co (122 keV), 192Ir (346 keV) and 137Cs (662 keV). The Micro-Shielding program was used to compare the experimental results of gamma transmittance with theoretical calculations, and the results were found to be in good agreement. Radiation shielding performance of PVA/Cd(NO3)2 composite films was examined by the determination of the linear attenuation coefficient (µ), mass attenuation coefficient (µ m), half value layer (HVL) and exposure buildup factor (EBF). The reinforcement of PVA matrix with 15 wt% Cd(NO3)2 supported to increase the radiation shielding capacity by 13.7% for gamma photons of 57Co radioisotope.