Contemporary 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.

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.

Adopting a proactive approach and focusing on emerging radiation-generating technologies, Health Physics in the 21st Century meets the growing need for a presentation of the relevant radiological characteristics and hazards. As such, this monograph discusses those technologies that will affect the health physics and radiation protection profession over the decades to come. After an introductory overview, the second part of this book looks at fission and fusion energy, followed by a section devoted to accelerators, while the final main section deals with radiation on manned space missions. Throughout, the author summarizes the relevant technology and scientific basis, while providing over 200 problems plus solutions to illustrate and amplify the text. Twelve appendices add further background material to support and enrich the topics addressed in the text, making this invaluable reading for students and lecturers in physics, biophysicists, clinical, nuclear and radiation physicists, as well as physicists in industry.

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.

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.

A straightforward presentation of the broad concepts underlying radiological physics and radiation dosimetry for the graduate-level student. Covers photon and neutron attenuation, radiation and charged particle equilibrium, interactions of photons and charged particles with matter, radiotherapy dosimetry, as well as photographic, calorimetric, chemical, and thermoluminescence dosimetry. Includes many new derivations, such as Kramers X-ray spectrum, as well as topics that have not been thoroughly analyzed in other texts, such as broad-beam attenuation and geometrics, and the reciprocity theorem. Subjects are layed out in a logical sequence, making the topics easier for students to follow. Supplemented with numerous diagrams and tables.