240 Pages
    by CRC Press

    240 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Radiation and the effects of radioactivity have been known for more than 100 years. International research spanning this period has yielded a great deal of information about radiation and its biological effects and this activity has resulted in the discovery of many applications in medicine and industry including cancer therapy, medical diagnostics, and quality control during manufacturing.

    After Chernobyl, there has been a tendency to regard radiation as harmful, even in situations where the doses are equal to or below the natural level. Radiation and Health presents a balanced view of the nature of radiation and its existence in the environment, as well as discussing its effects on plants, animals and humans. It also provides a survey of knowledge to date, from the discovery and basic theory of radiation and radioactivity to more recent developments concerned with the nature of radiation and its effect on biological systems. Numerous examples, exercises, and diagrams are included to make this book accessible to non-specialists.

    Radiation and Health provides information about the uses and consequences of ionizing radiation in medicine, research, and industry. It offers a basis for applying some basic calculations and comparing the results, and identifies risk factors to help establish rules and regulations that limit radiation doses, both to the individual and to society.

    RADIATION IS DISCOVERED
    Introduction
    Radioactivity
    X-Rays
    Ionizing Radiation
    WHAT IS RADIOACTIVITY?
    Radioactive Elements
    The Nature of Radioation
    The Radioactive Series
    The Energy of the Radiation
    Description of a radioactive source
    Alpha Radiation
    The Penetration of Radiation
    RADIOACTIVE DECAY LAWS
    Half-life
    The Physical Half-life
    The Laws of Radioactive Decay
    Biological Half-life
    Radio-ecological Half-life
    ACTIVITY AND DOSE
    Activity in Becquerel
    Radiation Dose
    Equivalent Dose
    Effective Equivalent Dose
    Other Dose Units
    ARTIFICIAL RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES
    The Discovery
    Fission
    Activation analysis
    THE MEASUREMENT OF RADIATION
    Introduction
    Detection Instruments
    The Energy of the Radiation
    Dose Measurements
    Radiation Protection
    NATURAL RADIATION
    Introduction
    Cosmic Radiation
    Natural Gamma Radiation
    Internal Radioactivity (sources inside the body)
    Radon
    Summary
    RADIATION IN MEDICINE AND RESEARCH
    Radiation sources
    X-rays in Medicine
    Therapy
    Other Diagnostic Methods
    Radiation Therapy
    Research
    Isotopes Used in Industry
    Sterilizing Medical Equipment
    Irradiation of Food Products
    Control of Insects
    Doses Due to the Medical Used of Radiation
    NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND REACTOR ACCIDENTS
    Nuclear Bomb Tests
    Nuclear Tests on Novaja Zemlja
    The Chernobyl Accident
    Pollution Around Chernobyl
    Chernobyl Conclusions
    Other Reactor Accidents
    RADIATION AND HEALTH. LARGE DOSES
    Dose-Effect Curves
    What is a Large Dose?
    The Use of Large Doses
    LD50 Dose
    Acute Radiation Sickness
    SMALL DOSES AND RISK ESTIMATES
    The Dose-Effect Curve
    How Can We Get the Needed Information?
    Experimental Information on Radiation and Cancer
    Radiation-induced Cancer in Animals
    Epidemiological Studies
    Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    Conclusions about the Dose-Effect Curve
    Risk Analyses
    RADIATION BIOLOGY - MECHANISMS
    Radiation Biophysics
    Radiation Chemistry
    Radiation Damage to Proteins and DNA
    DNA
    Radiation Damage to Cells
    Protection Against Radiation
    Oxygen Effect and Sensitizing Compounds
    Radiation and Chromosomal Aberrations
    Repair Processes
    Adaptive Response
    Conclusion
    Genetic Damage
    Radiation During Pregnancy
    RADIATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
    Use of Radiation in Society
    Nuclear Power
    Nuclear Power and Radioactive Releases
    Reprocessing
    Treatment and Storage
    Nuclear Power and Safety
    Radioactivity in the Ocean
    Radiation Doses to Fish
    Plutonium and Chemical Compounds
    Remedial Action
    Closing Remarks
    EXERCISES, EXAMPLES AND SCENARIOS
    ADDITIONAL READING, REFERENCES, AND INDEX

    Biography

    Thormod Henriksen, David H. Maillie