Radiation Science for Physicians and Public Health Workers, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2001

We have considered it to be a demanding assignment to provide a complete exposition dealing with the nature of radiation, its effects, and protection against it to workers in health-related activities. "Radiation" (and more precisely "ionizing radiation") is emitted by X-ray machines, nuclear reactors, and nuclear weapons, but also comes from natural sources to which we are all exposed. It would have been easier to deal with this subject area with the terminology and mathematics employed by specialists. However, although most of the potential readers probably have obtained further pertinent knowledge, we assume no more than a high school education in science and mathematics and the challenge was to provide maximum information within this constraint. This book contains five sections: (A) Radiation Physics, (B) Radiological Physics, (C) Radiation Biology, (D) Radiation Effects on Human Populations, and (E) Radiation Protection. Each section is preceded by a synopsis covering its essential features. It provides sufficient information to enable readers to obtain a general under­ standing of the subject of the section and an adequate background for comprehension of other sections. The more detailed presentation in the bulk of each section is followed by appendixes that generally contain more advanced topics. This scheme necessarily involves some repetition but permits a more flexible approach for readers who are especially interested in the contents of particular sections.

Section A. Radiation Physics.- The Radiation Field.- Atomic Physics.- Nuclear Physics.- Interaction of Radiation with Matter.- Radiation Sources.- Appendix A. 1: Units, Quantities, and Physical Constants.- Appendix A.2: Elements of Quantum Mechanics.- Appendix A.3: Properties of Selected Elementary Particles.- Section B. Radiological Physics.- Intermediate Dosimetric Quantities.- Absorbed Dose.- Radiation Equilibrium.- Radiation Quality.- Experimental Dosimetry.- Practical Dosimetry.- Appendix B.1: Microdosimetry.- Appendix B.2: Dosimetric Calculations.- Section C. Radiation Biology.- Stochastic and Nonstochastic Effects.- Dose-Response Curves and Their Meaning.- Events: Spatial and Temporal Aspects.- Inactivation Cross Section.- Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) and Enhancement Ratio (ER).- A Survey of Cellular Radiation Effects.- Appendix C.1: A Mathematical Description of the Effect of Dose Rate on Survival Probability.- Section D. Radiation Effects on Human Populations.- Cancer Statistics for the U.S. Population.- Radiation Carcinogenesis in Humans.- Analyses of the Radiation Carcinogenesis Data.- Radiation Effects on the Skin.- Radiation Effects on the Eye.- Radiation Effects on the Embryo and Fetus.- Genetic Effects of Ionizing Radiation.- Appendix D.1: Elements of Survival Analysis.- Appendix D.2: Rudiments of Population Genetics.- Appendix D.3: Elements of Probability and Statistics.- Section E . Radiation Protection.- Dose Concepts.- Subsidiary Quantities.- Human Exposure to Ionizing Radiation.- Dose Limits.- The Practice of Radiation Protection.- Appendix E.1: Radiation Quality.- Appendix E.2: Effective Dose Equivalent.- Appendix E.3: Operational Quantities.- Appendix E.4: Dose Limits.- Appendix E.5: Measurement of the Dose Equivalent.- Endnotes.