Physics for Radiation Protection

A highly practical resource for health physicists and other professionals in radiation protection. The new edition has been completely revised and updated. New chapters were added on internal radiation dose and the environmental behavior of radionuclides, as well as a new section on log-normal distribution of environmental parameters. Designed for readers with limited as well as basic science backgrounds, the handbook presents clear, thorough and up-to-date explanation of radiation physics and the major discoveries that underpin it. Extensive discussion is provided of radioactivity, including sources, materials and decay schemes for about 100 of the most common radionuclides encountered by practitioners. The text emphasizes practical calculations for radiation sources and levels in the workplace and the environment, and presents methods, including shielding, for modifying them. Comprehensive appendices and more than 400 figures are provided for such calculations; these are based on current resource data. Excerpts from the Chart of the Nuclides, activation cross sections, fussion yields, fussion-product chains, photon attenuation coefficients, and nuclear masses are also provided. Real-world examples and exercises demonstrate concepts and their use.