Radiation Dose Information Sheet
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Radiation Risk Assessment
PS008-1 RISK ASSESSMENT POSITION STATEMENT OF THE HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY* Adopted: July 1993 Revised: April 1995 Contact: Brett Burk Executive Secretary Health Physics Society Telephone: 703-790-1745 Fax: 703-790-2672 Email: [email protected] http://www.hps.org Risk assessment is the process of describing and characterizing the nature and magnitude of a particular risk and includes gathering, assembling, and analyzing information on the risk. Risk assessment is a foundation of risk management and risk communication. In order to effectively manage risks and to communicate risks to the public, a clear understanding of the nature and magnitude of the risk at relevant exposure levels is necessary. The Health Physics Society has become increasingly concerned with the erratic application of risk assessment in the establishment of radiation protection regulations. These regulations are inconsistent, poorly coordinated among federal agencies, and inadequately communicated to the public. Examples of problem areas include (1) 100- to 1,000-fold discrepancies in permissible exposure levels among various regulations, all allegedly based on the same scientific risk-assessment data, and (2) proposed expenditures of billions of federal and private dollars to clean up radioactively contaminated federal and commercial sites without careful consideration of the actual public health benefits to be achieved. The Health Physics Society recognizes that there are many questions and uncertainties associated with the risk-assessment process and that data may be incomplete or missing. Accordingly, limitations in risk assessment must be fully recognized and made explicit in establishing regulations for the protection of the public health. The Health Physics Society supports risk assessments that are consistent, of high technical quality, unbiased, and based on sound, objective science. -
Radiation Risk in Perspective
PS010-1 RADIATION RISK IN PERSPECTIVE POSITION STATEMENT OF THE HEALTH HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY* PHYSICS SOCIETY Adopted: January 1996 Revised: August 2004 Contact: Richard J. Burk, Jr. Executive Secretary Health Physics Society Telephone: 703-790-1745 Fax: 703-790-2672 Email: [email protected] http://www.hps.org In accordance with current knowledge of radiation health risks, the Health Physics Society recommends against quantitative estimation of health risks below an individual dose of 5 rem1 in one year or a lifetime dose of 10 rem above that received from natural sources. Doses from natural background radiation in the United States average about 0.3 rem per year. A dose of 5 rem will be accumulated in the first 17 years of life and about 25 rem in a lifetime of 80 years. Estimation of health risk associated with radiation doses that are of similar magnitude as those received from natural sources should be strictly qualitative and encompass a range of hypothetical health outcomes, including the possibility of no adverse health effects at such low levels. There is substantial and convincing scientific evidence for health risks following high-dose exposures. However, below 5–10 rem (which includes occupational and environmental exposures), risks of health effects are either too small to be observed or are nonexistent. In part because of the insurmountable intrinsic and methodological difficulties in determining if the health effects that are demonstrated at high radiation doses are also present at low doses, current radiation protection standards and practices are based on the premise that any radiation dose, no matter how small, may result in detrimental health effects, such as cancer and hereditary genetic damage. -
Nuclear Radiation 1. an Atom Contains Electrons, Protons and Neutrons
Nuclear Radiation 1. An atom contains electrons, protons and neutrons. Which of these particles a) are outside the nucleus b) are uncharged c) have a negative charge d) are nucleons e) are much lighter than the others? 2. Complete the table below. Name Symbol Charge What is it? Alpha particle β -1 Gamma ray An electromagnetic wave 3. How is an ionised material different from a material that is not ionised? National 5 Physics: Waves & Radiation 1 Absorption of Radiation 1. The figure below shows a Geiger tube used to detect radiation from a radioactive source. thick lead plate 0 4 2 5 start counter stop ON OFF reset Geiger tube radioactive source The following measurements were made using the apparatus above. Counts in 300 seconds Readings Average 1 No source present 102 94 110 2 Source present at fixed distance from tube a) No lead plate present 3466 3420 3410 b) Thick lead plate present 105 109 89 c) Aluminium sheet in place of the 1834 1787 1818 thick lead sheet a) Complete the table by calculating the average readings. b) Why are the readings on each line not the same? c) What can you say from the table about the effect on the radiation of: i. The lead plate? ii. The aluminium plate? d) Why is it possible to say from the readings that: i. gamma radiation is emitted by the source? ii. alpha and beta radiation might be emitted by the source? e) What further tests could you make using this arrangement to find out whether or not the source emits alpha radiation? National 5 Physics: Waves & Radiation 2 2. -
HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY POLICY on EXPENDITURE of FUNDS for IONIZING RADIATION HEALTH EFFECTS STUDIES Approved by the Board of Directors: November 1998
HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY Specialists in Radiation Safety HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY POLICY ON EXPENDITURE OF FUNDS FOR IONIZING RADIATION HEALTH EFFECTS STUDIES Approved by the Board of Directors: November 1998 PREMISE: 1. Funding resources for studying the health effects of human exposure to ionizing radiation are limited. 2. The number of research and study activities related to studying and understanding the health effects of ionizing radiation exceeds the funding resources available. 3. The highest priority of funding work on ionizing radiation health effects should be work with a reasonable likelihood of defining, or significantly increasing the understanding of, the carcinogenic response in the range of occupational and public exposures. 4. A second priority of funding work on ionizing radiation health effects should be work assisting in the establishment of reasonable protection criteria which do not result in an inappropriate expenditure of public funds for purported protection. This is necessary for the period in which there is a lack of definitive knowledge or understanding of the dose response. 5. Epidemiological studies alone will not provide definitive evidence of the existence or non-existence of carcinogenic effects due to low dose or low dose-rate radiation. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Do not fund epidemiological studies of exposed populations which have low statistical power and are unable to detect health effects with a reasonable statistical confidence (e.g., 90% or higher) based on the current risk estimates. 2. Do not fund epidemiological studies on populations for which there is insufficient data to properly control for known confounding factors, such as smoking history, exposure to other carcinogens, genetic pre-disposition, etc. -
Uranium Fact Sheet
Fact Sheet Adopted: December 2018 Health Physics Society Specialists in Radiation Safety 1 Uranium What is uranium? Uranium is a naturally occurring metallic element that has been present in the Earth’s crust since formation of the planet. Like many other minerals, uranium was deposited on land by volcanic action, dissolved by rainfall, and in some places, carried into underground formations. In some cases, geochemical conditions resulted in its concentration into “ore bodies.” Uranium is a common element in Earth’s crust (soil, rock) and in seawater and groundwater. Uranium has 92 protons in its nucleus. The isotope2 238U has 146 neutrons, for a total atomic weight of approximately 238, making it the highest atomic weight of any naturally occurring element. It is not the most dense of elements, but its density is almost twice that of lead. Uranium is radioactive and in nature has three primary isotopes with different numbers of neutrons. Natural uranium, 238U, constitutes over 99% of the total mass or weight, with 0.72% 235U, and a very small amount of 234U. An unstable nucleus that emits some form of radiation is defined as radioactive. The emitted radiation is called radioactivity, which in this case is ionizing radiation—meaning it can interact with other atoms to create charged atoms known as ions. Uranium emits alpha particles, which are ejected from the nucleus of the unstable uranium atom. When an atom emits radiation such as alpha or beta particles or photons such as x rays or gamma rays, the material is said to be undergoing radioactive decay (also called radioactive transformation). -
HPS Publications Style Guide
Health Physics Society Publications Style Guide January 2019 Table of Contents I. General Guidelines for HPS Documents and Web Pages ................................................... 2 A. Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 2 B. Capitalization ............................................................................................................. 3 C. Format ........................................................................................................................ 3 D. Internet ....................................................................................................................... 4 E. Numbers, Units, and Symbols ................................................................................... 4 1. Numbers ............................................................................................................... 4 2. Units of measure .................................................................................................. 5 3. Symbols................................................................................................................ 6 F. Punctuation ................................................................................................................ 6 G. Radionuclides and Elements ...................................................................................... 8 H. References, Citations, Resources, Footnotes, and Press Releases ............................. 8 1. References -
Copyright by Arthur Bryan Crawford 2004
Copyright by Arthur Bryan Crawford 2004 The Dissertation Committee for Arthur Bryan Crawford Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Evaluation of the Impact of Non -Uniform Neutron Radiation Fields on the Do se Received by Glove Box Radiation Workers Committee: Steven Biegalski, Supervisor Sheldon Landsberger John Howell Ofodike Ezekoye Sukesh Aghara Evaluation of the Impact of Non -Uniform Neutron Radiation Fields on the Dose Received by Glove Box Radiation Workers by Arthur Bryan Crawford, B.S., M.S. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December, 2004 Dedication I was born to goodly parents Harvey E. Crawford and Johnnie Lee Young Crawford Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Sheldon Landsberger for his vision in starting a distance learning program at the University of Texas at Austin and for his support and encouragement on this quest. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Steven Biegalski, for his support and encouragement even though the topic area was new to him. I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee for finding the time to review this dissertation. To the staff of the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory I say thank you for your kindness and support during those brief times that I was on cam pus. A special thanks to my past and present group leaders, David Seidel, Eric McNamara, and Bill Eisele and my Division Leader, Lee McAtee, at Los Alamos National Laboratory, for their support in being allowed to use time and material resources at the Lab oratory and for financial support in the form of tuition reimbursement and travel expenses. -
Radiation and Risk: Expert Perspectives Radiation and Risk: Expert Perspectives SP001-1
Radiation and Risk: Expert Perspectives Radiation and Risk: Expert Perspectives SP001-1 Published by Health Physics Society 1313 Dolley Madison Blvd. Suite 402 McLean, VA 22101 Disclaimer Statements and opinions expressed in publications of the Health Physics Society or in presentations given during its regular meetings are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Health Physics Society, the editors, or the organizations with which the authors are affiliated. The editor(s), publisher, and Society disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material and do not guarantee, warrant, or endorse any product or service mentioned. Official positions of the Society are established only by its Board of Directors. Copyright © 2017 by the Health Physics Society All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form, in an electronic retrieval system or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America SP001-1, revised 2017 Radiation and Risk: Expert Perspectives Table of Contents Foreword……………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 2 A Primer on Ionizing Radiation……………………………………………………………………………... 6 Growing Importance of Nuclear Technology in Medicine……………………………………….. 16 Distinguishing Risk: Use and Overuse of Radiation in Medicine………………………………. 22 Nuclear Energy: The Environmental Context…………………………………………………………. 27 Nuclear Power in the United States: Safety, Emergency Response Planning, and Continuous Learning…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33 Radiation Risk: Used Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste Disposal………………………... 42 Radiation Risk: Communicating to the Public………………………………………………………… 45 After Fukushima: Implications for Public Policy and Communications……………………. 51 Appendix 1: Radiation Units and Measurements……………………………………………………. 57 Appendix 2: Half-Life of Some Radionuclides…………………………………………………………. 58 Bernard L. -
Health Physics Society 51St Annual Meeting
CENTER FOR NUCLEAR WASTE REGULATORY ANALYSES TRIP REPORT SUBJECT: Health Physics Society 51" Annual Meeting Project No. 20.6002.01.372 and 20.6002.01.01 1 AI No. 20.6002.01.372.602 DATWPLACE: June 25-29,2006 Providence, Rhode Island AUTHOR(S): James Durham and Ali Simpkins Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) DISTRIBUTION: DHLWRS RES G EDENW RA SwRl D. DeMarco S. Bush-Goddard W. Patrick Record Copy B, IQS V. Whipple H. Karagiannis 6. Sagar S. Kim GED Directors W. Reamer MSlB GED Managers L. Kokajko P. LaPlante E. Collins S. Sherbini R. Janetzke A. Campbell 0. Pensado K. Stablein J. Mancillas M. Bailey R. Benke J. Guttmann J. Durham W. Smith L. Howard T. McCartin 0. Osidele J. Rubenstone A. Simpkins K. Compton R. Nes M. Waters 0. Povetko B. Hill L. Gutierrez M. Shah J. Chen D. Brooks CENTER FOR NUCLEAR WASTE REGULATORY ANALYSES TRIP REPORT SUBJECT: Health Physics Society 51" Annual Meeting Project Nos. 20.6002.01.372 and 20.6002.01.01 1 AI No. 20.6002.01.372.602 DATWPLACE: June 25-29,2006 Providence, Rhode Island AUTHOR(S): James Durham and Ali Simpkins Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) PERSONS PRESENT: J. Durham, A. Simpkins, and over 1,000 other attendees from around the world. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF TRIP: The Health Physics Society Annual Meeting is a premier forum that allows health physicists from around the world to interact and present their technical work. The format of this year's meeting included a plenary session followed by individual sessions to present work in different areas of health physics. -
Measuring Radioactivity
Health Physics Society Public Education Committee Fact Sheet MEASURING RADIOACTIVITY Because ionizing radiation cannot be detected with our human senses, we use various types of instruments and radiation detectors to measure the amount of radiation present. We usually measure both the amount of radioactivity in a radioisotope source, and the ionizing radiation field density being emitted by the source. We define radioactivity as the number of atoms which decay (disintegrate) in a radioisotope sample in a given period of time. The base unit is the Becquerel (Bq) or one disintegration per second (dps). This number is very small and therefore, not very useful. For this reason we use the Curie (Ci) which is 37 billion Bq. Because we often use very large or very small numbers when discussing radioactivity, we use a series o f prefixes which express multiples of 1000. The following table shows some of these prefixes: milli (m) = 1/1,000 kilo (k) = times 1,000 micro (u) = 1/1,000,000 mega (M) = times 1,000,000 nano (n) 1/1,000,000,000 giga (G) times 1,000,000,000 Pico (P) 1/1,000,000,000,000 tera (T) times 1,000,000,000,000 Using the table, a mCi = 1/1000 of a Curie and a GBq 1,000,000,000 Becquerels. To put this in perspective, a normal home smoke detector contains a small sealed source of about 10 uCi (370,000 Bq) of radioactivity. Ionizing radiation fields are expressed in units of Roentgens (R) which is equivalent to the number of atoms of a gas which are ionized. -
The International Commission on Radiological Protection: Historical Overview
Topical report The International Commission on Radiological Protection: Historical overview The ICRP is revising its basic recommendations by Dr H. Smith Within a few weeks of Roentgen's discovery of gamma rays; 1.5 roentgen per working week for radia- X-rays, the potential of the technique for diagnosing tion, affecting only superficial tissues; and 0.03 roentgen fractures became apparent, but acute adverse effects per working week for neutrons. (such as hair loss, erythema, and dermatitis) made hospital personnel aware of the need to avoid over- Recommendations in the 1950s exposure. Similar undesirable acute effects were By then, it was accepted that the roentgen was reported shortly after the discovery of radium and its inappropriate as a measure of exposure. In 1953, the medical applications. Notwithstanding these observa- ICRU recommended that limits of exposure should be tions, protection of staff exposed to X-rays and gamma based on consideration of the energy absorbed in tissues rays from radium was poorly co-ordinated. and introduced the rad (radiation absorbed dose) as a The British X-ray and Radium Protection Committee unit of absorbed dose (that is, energy imparted by radia- and the American Roentgen Ray Society proposed tion to a unit mass of tissue). In 1954, the ICRP general radiation protection recommendations in the introduced the rem (roentgen equivalent man) as a unit early 1920s. In 1925, at the First International Congress of absorbed dose weighted for the way different types of of Radiology, the need for quantifying exposure was radiation distribute energy in tissue (called the dose recognized. As a result, in 1928 the roentgen was equivalent in 1966). -
HPS Publications Style Guide
Health Physics Society Publications Style Guide February 2020 Table of Contents I. General Guidelines for HPS Documents and Web Pages ................................................... 2 A. Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. 2 B. Capitalization ............................................................................................................................... 3 C. Format .......................................................................................................................................... 3 D. Internet ......................................................................................................................................... 4 E. Nuclides and Elements .............................................................................................................. 4 F. Numbers, Units, and Symbols ................................................................................................... 5 1. Numbers ............................................................................................................................. 5 2. Units of measure ............................................................................................................... 6 3. Symbols ............................................................................................................................. 6 G. Punctuation ................................................................................................................................