Basic Health Physics

Designed to prepare candidates for the American Board of Health Physics Comprehensive examination (Part I) and other certification examinations, this monograph introduces professionals in the field to radiation protection principles and their practical application in routine and emergency situations. It features more than 650 worked examples illustrating concepts under discussion along with in-depth coverage of sources of radiation, standards and regulations, biological effects of ionizing radiation, instrumentation, external and internal dosimetry, counting statistics, monitoring and interpretations, operational health physics, transportation and waste, nuclear emergencies, and more. Reflecting for the first time the true scope of health physics at an introductory level, Basic Health Physics: Problems and Solutions gives readers the tools to properly evaluate challenging situations in all areas of radiation protection, including the medical, university, power reactor, fuel cycle, research reactor, environmental, non-ionizing radiation, and accelerator health physics.

This is the first text specifically designed to train potential health physicists to think and respond like professionals. Written by a former chairman of the American Board of Health Physics Comprehensive Panel of Examiners with more than 20 years of professional and academic experience in the field, it offers a balanced presentation of all the theoretical and practical issues essential for a full working knowledge of radiation exposure assessments. As the only book to cover the entire radiation protection field, it includes detailed coverage of the medical, university, reactor, fuel cycle, environmental and accelerator areas, while exploring key topics in radiation basics, external and internal dosimetry, the biological effects of ionizing radiation, and much more besides. Backed by more than 500 worked examples developed within the context of various scenarios and spanning the full spectrum of real-world challenges, it quickly instills in readers the professional acumen and practical skills they need to perform accurate radiation assessments in virtually any routine or emergency situation. The result is a valuable resource for upper-level students and anyone preparing to take the American Board of Health Physics Comprehensive Examination, as well as for professionals seeking to expand their scope and sharpen their skills.

The purpose of Understanding Radiation Science: Basic Nuclear and Health Physics is to provide the reader a basic understanding of radiation science. Therefore, basic nuclear physics and health physics principles are presented through chapters on atomic structure, types of radiation, terminology and units, radiation biology, exposure and controls, background radiation, personnel monitoring, and radiation instrumentation. The book concludes with chapters on historical events and definitions. This book provides introductory information for students starting their education in nuclear physics, health physics and nuclear engineering. The material covered in this book is appropriate for all types of radiation workers. Persons studying to take the health physics certification exam, radiation protection technologist exam, or the certifying examinations to become radiologic technologists, radiation therapy technologists, ultrasound technologists, or nuclear medicine technologists will find this information most useful.

This text is an invaluable, comprehensive data reference for anyone involved in health physics or radiation safety. This new edition addresses the specific data requirements of health physicists, with data presented in large tables, including the latest NCRP recommendations, which are tabulated and given in both SI and traditional units for ease of use. Although portions of these data can be obtained from various internet sites, many are obscure, difficult to navigate and/or have conflicting information for even the most common data, such as specific gamma ray constants. This new edition compiles all essential data in this vast field into one user-friendly, authoritative source. It also offers a website with full-text search capability. Markets include radiation safety, medical physics and nuclear medicine

The book bridges the gap between existing health physics textbooks and reference material needed by a practicing health physicist as the 21st century progresses. This material necessarily encompasses emerging radiation-generating technologies, advances in existing technology, and applications of existing technology to new areas. The book is written for advanced undergraduate and graduate science and engineering courses. It is also be a useful reference for scientists and engineers.

This book provides a comprehensive yet accessible overview of all relevant topics in the field of radiation protection (health physics). The text is organized to introduce the reader to basic principles of radiation emission and propagation, to review current knowledge and historical aspects of the biological effects of radiation, and to cover important operational topics such as radiation shielding and dosimetry. The author’s website contains materials for instructors including PowerPoint slides for lectures and worked-out solutions to end-of-chapter exercises. The book serves as an essential handbook for practicing health physics professionals.

This book summarizes basic knowledge of atomic, nuclear, and radiation physics that professionals need for efficient and safe use of ionizing radiation. Concentrating on the underlying principles of radiation physics, it covers prerequisite knowledge for medical physics courses on the graduate and post-graduate levels, providing the link between elementary physics on the one hand and the intricacies of the medical physics specialties on the other.

This book begins with the basic terms and definitions and takes a student, step by step, through all areas of medical physics. The book covers radiation therapy, diagnostic radiology, dosimetry, radiation shielding, and nuclear medicine, all at a level suitable for undergraduates. This title not only describes the basics concepts of the field, but also emphasizes numerical and mathematical problems and examples. Students will find An Introduction to Medical Physics to be an indispensible resource in preparations for further graduate studies in the field.