- Email: [email protected]
Applied radiation chemistry; radiation processing
Appl. Radiar. Isor. Vol. 45, No. IO. pp. 1053-1054. 1994 Copyright S 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great
Microdosimetry, Proceedings of the Eleventh Symposium on Microdosimetry held at Gatlinberg, Tennessee, 13-18 September 1992. Nuclear Technology Publishing, ISBN I 870965 21 3; Radiation Protection Dosimefry, Vol. 52, 14, 1994, 492 pp., Price f90.00 (Free to journal subscribers). Microdosimetry is one of the developing fields of radiation protection science which may be of crucial importance in providing the information necessary to understand the effects of radiation at low doses and, especially, for improving risk estimates by enabling realistic quantitative extrapolation to low doses of epidemiological data obtained from human populations exposed to high doses. The symposium, the eleventh in a series which began a quarter of a century ago, was organized jointly by the Radiation Protection Research Action of the Commission of the European Communities, the United States Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and attracted some 150 scientists from across the world. The 88 papers presented at the meeting began with an invited paper by A. M. Kellerer entitled ‘The new panorama of radioepidemiology’ and
Applied
Radiation
Chemistry;
Radiation
Processing.
By
ROBERTJ. WOODSand ALEXEIK. PIKAEV.Wiley-Interscience,
New York, ISBN O-471-54452-3,
1994,535
pp., Price f62.00.
Since its beginnings some thirty odd years ago the application of radiation chemistry to industrial processing has been met with an almost equal mixture of great enthusiasm and controversy. This remains the situation today, despite the fact that in certain fields radiation techniques have much to offer, by avoiding the production of toxic wastes during industrial processing, or in the destruction of highly toxic organic chemicals in wastes materials. This book, which may be seen as a combination of advanced text book and critical review, attempts to take a long hard look at the whole field of radiation processing; its history, its current state of technology and both the controversial applications and the promising developments. The joint Canadian and Russian authorship provides an interesting insight into developments in the former Soviet Union as well as in the rest of the world. The book comprises I3 chapters covering a wide range of topics from the basics of radiation chemistry and radiation sources to applications such as radiation syntheses, polymerization, radiation sterilization of medical products, radiation treatment of foods and toxic waste treatment. The introduction provides a very readable, and quite detailed, survey of the early developments in, and the basics of, radiation chemistry and radiation processing, ending with a substantial bibliography and reference list. This pattern is followed in the succeeding chapters on radiation sources and characteristics; interaction of radiation with matter; radiation dosimetry and radiolysis intermediates. This sound presentation of basic material is followed by a chapter on selected topics in radiation chemistry which discusses water and aqueous systems both inorganic and organic as well as a variety of organic systems leads on to the more specialist
Britain. All rights reserved 0969-8043/94 $7.00 + 0.00
ranged widely over the field of radiation science from biological effects modelling through microdosimetry measurements, track structures, radiation physics and chemistry in aqueous solutions, molecular and cellular mechanisms to carcinogenesis. Many of the individual papers make fascinating reading and point the way towards fascinating new developments. However, the final contribution. an invited paper by E. J. Hall and M. Varma, on an integrated model for radiation induced cancer, perhaps sums up the whole proceedings by concluding that while much has been achieved, much still remains to be done! This book continues the well-established tradition of this publishing house of producing high-quality, hard bound volumes of proceedings and it contains much that is of interest to all who are interested in radiation biology and protection. DAVID M. TAYLOR
University of‘ Wales College of Card# Department qf Chemklr? P.O. Box 912. Cardiff CFl ZTB. Wales
chapters on radiation synthesis; polymerization, including surface coating applications; polymer modification, ranging from cross-linking and stability to the production of animal feeds by irradiating cellulose wastes. The two penultimate chapters consider various aspects of the very important field of the radiation sterilization of medical products; the controversial question of the radiation treatment of foodstuffs; and the applications of radiation treatments to waste management in aqueous effluents. sewage sludge and flue gases. The last chapter, under the title of “Other applications” discusses, rather briefly, some radiation-chemical aspects of nuclear power. including problems of reactor coolants, iodine species, corrosion, radiolysis in aqueous solutions of actinidcs to hydrogen production. The second part of this chapter addresses various aspects of radiation-physical technology. for example, ion implantation, doping of semi-conductors and lithography. The book ends with short appendices presenting values for units and conversion factors and conversion factors from “conventional” to SI units and a useful subject index. The inclusion of the appendix giving conversion factors to SI units, highlights a shortcoming of the book. namely that the authors have chosen to retain the old, so-called “conventional” units in some parts of the text, especially for G values, while in others the SI units are used; this is an unfortunate choice and may confuse the reader who has been trained to think principally in SI units. Overall this book provides a very useful survey of both the state of the art and of the basic science of radiation processing which deserves to be widely read by chemists and environmental scientists as well as radiation specialists.
1053
DAVID M. TAYLOR
Universily of Wales, College of Cardiff Deparrmenr of Chemistry P.O. Box 912, Card@CFI3TB. Wales
Microdosimetry, Proceedings of the Eleventh Symposium on Microdosimetry held at Gatlinberg, Tennessee, 13-18 September 1992. Nuclear Technology Publishing, ISBN I 870965 21 3; Radiation Protection Dosimefry, Vol. 52, 14, 1994, 492 pp., Price f90.00 (Free to journal subscribers). Microdosimetry is one of the developing fields of radiation protection science which may be of crucial importance in providing the information necessary to understand the effects of radiation at low doses and, especially, for improving risk estimates by enabling realistic quantitative extrapolation to low doses of epidemiological data obtained from human populations exposed to high doses. The symposium, the eleventh in a series which began a quarter of a century ago, was organized jointly by the Radiation Protection Research Action of the Commission of the European Communities, the United States Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and attracted some 150 scientists from across the world. The 88 papers presented at the meeting began with an invited paper by A. M. Kellerer entitled ‘The new panorama of radioepidemiology’ and
Applied
Radiation
Chemistry;
Radiation
Processing.
By
ROBERTJ. WOODSand ALEXEIK. PIKAEV.Wiley-Interscience,
New York, ISBN O-471-54452-3,
1994,535
pp., Price f62.00.
Since its beginnings some thirty odd years ago the application of radiation chemistry to industrial processing has been met with an almost equal mixture of great enthusiasm and controversy. This remains the situation today, despite the fact that in certain fields radiation techniques have much to offer, by avoiding the production of toxic wastes during industrial processing, or in the destruction of highly toxic organic chemicals in wastes materials. This book, which may be seen as a combination of advanced text book and critical review, attempts to take a long hard look at the whole field of radiation processing; its history, its current state of technology and both the controversial applications and the promising developments. The joint Canadian and Russian authorship provides an interesting insight into developments in the former Soviet Union as well as in the rest of the world. The book comprises I3 chapters covering a wide range of topics from the basics of radiation chemistry and radiation sources to applications such as radiation syntheses, polymerization, radiation sterilization of medical products, radiation treatment of foods and toxic waste treatment. The introduction provides a very readable, and quite detailed, survey of the early developments in, and the basics of, radiation chemistry and radiation processing, ending with a substantial bibliography and reference list. This pattern is followed in the succeeding chapters on radiation sources and characteristics; interaction of radiation with matter; radiation dosimetry and radiolysis intermediates. This sound presentation of basic material is followed by a chapter on selected topics in radiation chemistry which discusses water and aqueous systems both inorganic and organic as well as a variety of organic systems leads on to the more specialist
Britain. All rights reserved 0969-8043/94 $7.00 + 0.00
ranged widely over the field of radiation science from biological effects modelling through microdosimetry measurements, track structures, radiation physics and chemistry in aqueous solutions, molecular and cellular mechanisms to carcinogenesis. Many of the individual papers make fascinating reading and point the way towards fascinating new developments. However, the final contribution. an invited paper by E. J. Hall and M. Varma, on an integrated model for radiation induced cancer, perhaps sums up the whole proceedings by concluding that while much has been achieved, much still remains to be done! This book continues the well-established tradition of this publishing house of producing high-quality, hard bound volumes of proceedings and it contains much that is of interest to all who are interested in radiation biology and protection. DAVID M. TAYLOR
University of‘ Wales College of Card# Department qf Chemklr? P.O. Box 912. Cardiff CFl ZTB. Wales
chapters on radiation synthesis; polymerization, including surface coating applications; polymer modification, ranging from cross-linking and stability to the production of animal feeds by irradiating cellulose wastes. The two penultimate chapters consider various aspects of the very important field of the radiation sterilization of medical products; the controversial question of the radiation treatment of foodstuffs; and the applications of radiation treatments to waste management in aqueous effluents. sewage sludge and flue gases. The last chapter, under the title of “Other applications” discusses, rather briefly, some radiation-chemical aspects of nuclear power. including problems of reactor coolants, iodine species, corrosion, radiolysis in aqueous solutions of actinidcs to hydrogen production. The second part of this chapter addresses various aspects of radiation-physical technology. for example, ion implantation, doping of semi-conductors and lithography. The book ends with short appendices presenting values for units and conversion factors and conversion factors from “conventional” to SI units and a useful subject index. The inclusion of the appendix giving conversion factors to SI units, highlights a shortcoming of the book. namely that the authors have chosen to retain the old, so-called “conventional” units in some parts of the text, especially for G values, while in others the SI units are used; this is an unfortunate choice and may confuse the reader who has been trained to think principally in SI units. Overall this book provides a very useful survey of both the state of the art and of the basic science of radiation processing which deserves to be widely read by chemists and environmental scientists as well as radiation specialists.
1053
DAVID M. TAYLOR
Universily of Wales, College of Cardiff Deparrmenr of Chemistry P.O. Box 912, Card@CFI3TB. Wales