These lectures presented by experts from the Nordic countries are collected with the purpose of education in the field of environmental radioactivity. The book may be used in university courses on, eg., health physics and environmental science. Administrators and managers of environmental programmes may also find useful background information.The book covers all important aspects of environmental radioactivity such as source terms, atmospheric transport, processes in aquatic and terrestrial systems, radiochemistry and measurement techniques, radioactivity in man, modeling and assessment of absorbed doses.The Nordic Committee for Nuclear Safety Research, NKS, organises joint research programmes such as the above lectures to strive for a better understanding in the Nordic countries of factors influencing nuclear safety, radiation protection and emergency provisions.

Radioactive sources such as nuclear power installations can pose a great threat to both humans and our environment. How do we measure, model and regulate such threats? Environmental Radioactivity and Emergency Preparedness addresses these topical questions and aims to plug the gap in the lack of comprehensive literature in this field. The book explores how to deal with the threats posed by different radiological sources, including those that are lost or hidden, and the issues posed by the use of such sources. It presents measurement methods and approaches to model and quantify the extent of threat, and also presents strategies for emergency preparedness, such as strategies for first-responders and radiological triage in case an accident should happen. Containing the latest recommendations and procedures from bodies such as the IAEA, this book is an essential reference for both students and academicians studying radiation safety, as well as for radiation protection experts in public bodies or in the industry.

The handling of actinides and actinide-based materials provides significant technological challenges due to the toxicity and radioactivity associated with these materials. These challenges are particularly apparent in the nuclear power industry. Under normal operation, a reactor can produce a significant amount of spent fuel requiring subsequent containment for geologic times, and under accident conditions it can release lethal doses of radioactive material to the environment. Inevitably, radioactive material will enter the environment, necessitating as complete an understanding as possible of its behavior. An understanding of the interaction between actinides and the environment must be based on a knowledge of their basic physical and chemical properties. To date, although there is general agreement on the principles for waste disposal, no facility has been built for the long term disposal of high level radioactive waste from either normal reactor operations or from accidental catastrophes. This makes it most important for the scientific and technical community to develop the necessary cross-disciplinary understanding that will help us implement safe and secure waste management, accident remediation and accident prevention systems.

The present treatise is the final milestone in the radioecology programme, RAD, carried out from 1990 to 1993 under the Nordic Committee for Nuclear Safety Research, NKS. The book, one of the few in its field to have achieved international publication, is centred on the contamination of Nordic environments with radionuclides from the Chernobyl accident. It contains 30 contributions mainly describing the flow of radiocaesium through aquatic, agricultural, forest, and alpine ecosystems, as well as quality assurance and doses to man. A series of original papers on various aspects of Nordic post-Chernobyl radioecology by leading Nordic scientists is also included, along with terms & units definitions, indexes, and an executive summary.The volume will be invaluable to all scientists and professionals in radioecology, radiation protection, trace element cycling and environmental contamination. It will also be relevant to general evironmental management/human contamination/civil defence officials.

An overview of the sources, uses and effects of ionising radiation in the environment and their consequences for life.

As radiological residue, both naturally occurring and technologically driven, works its way through the ecosystem, we see its negative effects on the human population. Radionuclide Concentrations in Food and the Environment addresses the key issues concerning the relationship between natural and manmade sources of environmental radioactivity