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The Physics of Radiation Protection
J. Environ. Radioactivity,
Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 221-222,
1997
0 1997 Elsevier Science Limited Printed in Ireland. All rights reserved ELSEVIER
PII:SO265-931X(96)00041-0
0265-931X/97 $17.00+ 0.00
Book Review
The Physics of Radiation Protection. B. Diirschel, V. Schuricht & J. Steuer, Nuclear Technology Publishing, 1996, ISBN l-870965-42-6, 322 pp. Price: &65, US$123.50.
The authors of this book have much experience in teaching radiation protection, so it can be supposed that The Physics of Radiation Protection has been developed from lectures held for senior students of physics and engineering who need a higher qualification in health physics. In order not to get frustrated, the reader of this book should be familiar with mathematics of an intermediate university level, and also some background in physics is very desirable. For people with such a background, this book can be useful for self-teaching or brushing up a knowledge of radiation protection to a very high level. The book is divided into two parts. The first part ‘Physical Fundamentals of Radiation Protection’ is a concise presentation of physical and mathematical concepts on how to describe radiation sources and radiation fields, the interaction of radiation with matter and radiation effects and radiation damage. Further items are: the mathematical models of risk assessment, the characterization of radiation exposure by means of the ‘Effective Dose’, radiation exposure of man from natural and man-made sources, models for calculating radiation exposure from external and internal sources, dosimetry principles and possible detectors and physical fundamentals for limiting radiation exposure. All these topics are treated concisely, but very thoroughly, in about 200 pages. Mathematical formulae are used extensively to describe radiation fields and radiation effects. For the practical use of these formulae, numerical data are needed. This information is given in tables containing, for example, dose rate constants for radionuclides, conversion factors for H and E, mass-absorption coefficients, energy transfer coefficients, attenuation factors for photons and neutrons as a function of energy and many other numerical data necessary for calculations in the field of radiation protection. 221
222
Book review
The second part of the book is ‘Calculation Exercises for Radiation Protection’. These exercises are meant to deepen the understanding of the materials presented in part I. They should also impart further knowledge by demonstrating methods of solving radiation protection tasks. The 61 exercises are quite realistic, and not at all easy. The final chapter with the solutions is useful not only to check the results; in most cases, methodological assistance in solving problems in the field of health physics is very helpful, and even necessary. The Physics of Radiation Protection is not a textbook, but rather a workbook for the advanced reader. It outlines all relevant fields of radiation protection. It is not meant to replace textbooks on atomic and nuclear physics and dosimetry. The strong point of this book is its bringing together of all the relevant information for radiation protection calculations in a very limited space. It is a very well produced and handy compilation of facts and formulae needed in radiation protection. It will be of use to physicists and engineers working as radiation protection officers in scientific, medical and industrial institutions, but it can also be recommended to students as a workbook to accompany lectures on radiation physics. A. BHuml
Bundesamt fiir Strahlenschutz,
Germany
Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 221-222,
1997
0 1997 Elsevier Science Limited Printed in Ireland. All rights reserved ELSEVIER
PII:SO265-931X(96)00041-0
0265-931X/97 $17.00+ 0.00
Book Review
The Physics of Radiation Protection. B. Diirschel, V. Schuricht & J. Steuer, Nuclear Technology Publishing, 1996, ISBN l-870965-42-6, 322 pp. Price: &65, US$123.50.
The authors of this book have much experience in teaching radiation protection, so it can be supposed that The Physics of Radiation Protection has been developed from lectures held for senior students of physics and engineering who need a higher qualification in health physics. In order not to get frustrated, the reader of this book should be familiar with mathematics of an intermediate university level, and also some background in physics is very desirable. For people with such a background, this book can be useful for self-teaching or brushing up a knowledge of radiation protection to a very high level. The book is divided into two parts. The first part ‘Physical Fundamentals of Radiation Protection’ is a concise presentation of physical and mathematical concepts on how to describe radiation sources and radiation fields, the interaction of radiation with matter and radiation effects and radiation damage. Further items are: the mathematical models of risk assessment, the characterization of radiation exposure by means of the ‘Effective Dose’, radiation exposure of man from natural and man-made sources, models for calculating radiation exposure from external and internal sources, dosimetry principles and possible detectors and physical fundamentals for limiting radiation exposure. All these topics are treated concisely, but very thoroughly, in about 200 pages. Mathematical formulae are used extensively to describe radiation fields and radiation effects. For the practical use of these formulae, numerical data are needed. This information is given in tables containing, for example, dose rate constants for radionuclides, conversion factors for H and E, mass-absorption coefficients, energy transfer coefficients, attenuation factors for photons and neutrons as a function of energy and many other numerical data necessary for calculations in the field of radiation protection. 221
222
Book review
The second part of the book is ‘Calculation Exercises for Radiation Protection’. These exercises are meant to deepen the understanding of the materials presented in part I. They should also impart further knowledge by demonstrating methods of solving radiation protection tasks. The 61 exercises are quite realistic, and not at all easy. The final chapter with the solutions is useful not only to check the results; in most cases, methodological assistance in solving problems in the field of health physics is very helpful, and even necessary. The Physics of Radiation Protection is not a textbook, but rather a workbook for the advanced reader. It outlines all relevant fields of radiation protection. It is not meant to replace textbooks on atomic and nuclear physics and dosimetry. The strong point of this book is its bringing together of all the relevant information for radiation protection calculations in a very limited space. It is a very well produced and handy compilation of facts and formulae needed in radiation protection. It will be of use to physicists and engineers working as radiation protection officers in scientific, medical and industrial institutions, but it can also be recommended to students as a workbook to accompany lectures on radiation physics. A. BHuml
Bundesamt fiir Strahlenschutz,
Germany