Does radiation medicine need more regulation or simply better-coordinated regulation? This book addresses this and other questions of critical importance to public health and safety. The issues involved are high on the nation's agenda: the impact of radiation on public safety, the balance between federal and state authority, and the cost-benefit ratio of regulation. Although incidents of misadministration are rare, a case in Pennsylvania resulting in the death of a patient and the inadvertent exposure of others to a high dose of radiation drew attention to issues concerning the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine and the need to examine current regulatory practices. Written at the request from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Radiation in Medicine reviews the regulation of ionizing radiation in medicine, focusing on the NRC's Medical Use Program, which governs the use of reactor-generated byproduct materials. The committee recommends immediate action on enforcement and provides longer term proposals for reform of the regulatory system. The volume covers: Sources of radiation and their use in medicine. Levels of risk to patients, workers, and the public. Current roles of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, other federal agencies, and states. Criticisms from the regulated community. The committee explores alternative regulatory structures for radiation medicine and explains the rationale for the option it recommends in this volume. Based on extensive research, input from the regulated community, and the collaborative efforts of experts from a range of disciplines, Radiation in Medicine will be an important resource for federal and state policymakers and regulators, health professionals involved in radiation treatment, developers and producers of radiation equipment, insurance providers, and concerned laypersons.

This book presents the applications of high-energy beam radiation for synthesis and processing of polymeric materials. It addresses fundamental nature of high energy i.e., ionizing radiations and interaction with monomers and polymers leading to a wide variety of products such as tyres, textiles, shape memory polymers, polymers for aviation and space applications, polymeric biomaterials and natural rubber latex. It discusses general principles and techniques of preparation of polymeric materials including polymer blends, composites and nanocomposites. It also includes the topic of radiation-assisted recycling of polymers through breaking of covalent bonds. This book will be useful for students, researchers and professionals in the areas of polymers science and technology, radiation technology, electron beam technology, gamma radiation technology, advanced materials technology, biomaterials technology, nanotechnology, membrane science technology and environmental science.

Beginning with Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, the authors give a detailed mathematical description of fundamental astrophysical radiation processes, including Compton scattering of electrons and photons, synchrotron radiation of particles in magnetic fields, and much more.

Over the past several decades, public concern over exposure to ionizing radiation has increased. This concern has manifested itself in different ways depending on the perception of risk to different individuals and different groups and the circumstances of their exposure. One such group are those U.S. servicemen (the "Atomic Veterans" who participated in the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site or in the Pacific Proving Grounds, who served with occupation forces in or near Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or who were prisoners of war in or near those cities at the time of, or shortly after, the atomic bombings. This book addresses the feasibility of conducting an epidemiologic study to determine if there is an increased risk of adverse reproductive outcomes in the spouses, children, and grandchildren of the Atomic Veterans.

The use of x rays has moved in the forefront of science and technology in the second half of the 20th century. This progress has been greatly stimulated by the advent of synchrotron x-ray sources in the 1960s. The undulator-based synchrotron radiation sources which have appeared in the last decade of the 20th century gave a new impetus to such development. The brilliance of the x-ray sources has increased by 12 orders of magnitude in 40 years and this trend does not show any signs of stagnation. The future x-ray sources of the 21th century based on free-electron lasers driven by linear accelerators will provide sub-picosecond radiation pulses with by many orders of magnitude higher brilliance and full transverse coherence. The x-ray sources of the newest generation offer a possibility to realize more than ever before the great potential of x-ray optics and, as a consequence, to elaborate new sophisticated instrumentation with unprecedented resolution and eventually to move in new directions of research in x-ray technology, materials science, fundamental physics, life sciences, etc.

Providing students with an in-depth account of the astrophysics of high energy phenomena in the Universe, the third edition of this well-established textbook is ideal for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in high energy astrophysics. Building on the concepts and techniques taught in standard undergraduate courses, this textbook provides the astronomical and astrophysical background for students to explore more advanced topics. Special emphasis is given to the underlying physical principles of high energy astrophysics, helping students understand the essential physics. The third edition has been completely rewritten, consolidating the previous editions into one volume. It covers the most recent discoveries in areas such as gamma-ray bursts, ultra-high energy cosmic rays and ultra-high energy gamma rays. The topics have been rearranged and streamlined to make them more applicable to a wide range of different astrophysical problems.

Physics of Nuclear Radiations: Concepts, Techniques and Applications makes the physics of nuclear radiations accessible to students with a basic background in physics and mathematics. Rather than convince students one way or the other about the hazards of nuclear radiations, the text empowers them with tools to calculate and assess nuclear radiations and their impact. It discusses the meaning behind mathematical formulae as well as the areas in which the equations can be applied. After reviewing the physics preliminaries, the author addresses the growth and decay of nuclear radiations, the stability of nuclei or particles against radioactive transformations, and the behavior of heavy charged particles, electrons, photons, and neutrons. He then presents the nomenclature and physics reasoning of dosimetry, covers typical nuclear facilities (such as medical x-ray machines and particle accelerators), and describes the physics principles of diverse detectors. The book also discusses methods for measuring energy and time spectroscopies before concluding with applications in agriculture, medicine, industry, and art.

In the United States there are several thousand devices containing high-activity radiation sources licensed for use in areas ranging from medical uses such as cancer therapy to safety uses such as testing of structures and industrial equipment. Those radiation sources are licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and state agencies. Concerns have been raised about the safety and security of the radiation sources, particularly amid fears that they could be used to create dirty bombs, or radiological dispersal device (RDD). In response to a request from Congress, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked the National Research Council to conduct a study to review the uses of high-risk radiation sources and the feasibility of replacing them with lower risk alternatives. The study concludes that the U.S. government should consider factors such as potential economic consequences of misuse of the radiation sources into its assessments of risk. Although the committee found that replacements of most sources are possible, it is not economically feasible in some cases. The committee recommends that the U.S. government take steps to in the near term to replace radioactive cesium chloride radiation sources, a potential "dirty bomb" ingredient used in some medical and research equipment, with lower-risk alternatives. The committee further recommends that longer term efforts be undertaken to replace other sources. The book presents a number of options for making those replacements.

The benefits of ionizing radiations have been largely demonstrated through many achievements of human life. Understanding the fundamental elementary interactions of ionizing radiations with material has allowed the development of various applications needed by different industries. This book draws some facets of their applications, such as hardening process for semiconductor devices, biomedical imaging by radiation luminescent quantum dots, hydrogen gas detection by Raman lidar sensor for explosion risk assessment, water and wastewater purification by radiation treatment for environment, doping by the neutron transmutation doping for the semiconductor industry, and polymerization by irradiation, which is useful for industries requiring resistant and protective coating. I wish the chapters of this book can provide some helpful information on ionizing radiation applications.