A practical guide to radiation safety

Many health and scientific professionals require a basic understanding of radiological safety principles, even and especially if they are not specialists in radiological health. Principles of Radiological Health and Safety is designed for this purpose as well as a resource for safety personnel who also handle radiation safety duties. It is a text of basic concepts needed in broad-based protection programs, with real-world examples and practice problems to demonstrate principles and hone skills.

Resource data for practical problems in radiation protection are provided along with illustrative examples of their use. For example, modes and energies of radioactive transformation, radiation attenuation and absorption, dose coefficients, and environmental transport parameters are included for many of the common circumstances encountered in laboratory and industrial settings. these are cross referenced to standard compendiums for straightforward use when more in-depth listings need to be consulted. Other topics include:

• Atom structure and radioactivity
• Radiation protection standards and programs
• Radiation interactions and dose
• Environmental radiological assessment
• Radiation shielding
• Radon
• Internal radiation dosimetry
• Radioactive waste

Safety professionals as well as students and teachers will find Principles of Radiological Health and Safety to be an invaluable addition to their professional and academic libraries.

Emma Watson's Our Shared Shelf book club choice New York Times bestseller 'Fascinating.' Sunday Times 'Thrilling.' Mail on Sunday All they wanted was the chance to shine. Be careful what you wish for... 'The first thing we asked was, "Does this stuff hurt you?" And they said, "No." The company said that it wasn't dangerous, that we didn't need to be afraid.' As the First World War spread across the world, young American women flocked to work in factories, painting clocks, watches and military dials with a special luminous substance made from radium. It was a fun job, lucrative and glamorous - the girls shone brightly in the dark, covered head to toe in dust from the paint. However, as the years passed, the women began to suffer from mysterious and crippling illnesses. It turned out that the very thing that had made them feel alive - their work - was slowly killing them: the radium paint was poisonous. Their employers denied all responsibility, but these courageous women - in the face of unimaginable suffering - refused to accept their fate quietly, and instead became determined to fight for justice. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries, letters and interviews, The Radium Girls is an intimate narrative of an unforgettable true story. It is the powerful tale of a group of ordinary women from the Roaring Twenties, who themselves learned how to roar. Further praise for The Radium Girls 'The importance of the brave and blighted dial-painters cannot be overstated.' Sunday Times 'A perfect blend of the historical, the scientific and the personal.' Bustle 'Thrilling and carefully crafted.' Mail on Sunday

The quality of the air we breathe is fundamental to the quality of life for the growing millions of people living in the world's burgeoning megacities. In this book, experts in atmospheric sciences, human health, economics, social and political sciences contribute to an integrated assessment of the complex elements needed to structure air quality policy in the 21st century. The analysis is developed through a case study of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area - one of the world's largest megacities in which air pollution grew unchecked for decades. The international research team is led by Luisa T. and Mario J. Molina, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. Improvements in Mexico City's air quality in the last decade testifies to the power of determined and enlightened policy making, and throws into relief the tough problems that remain to be solved.
The volume's first six chapters, including the contributions of over 50 distinguished scholars from Mexico and the US, outline the fundamental areas of knowledge policy makers must accommodate. The message is that only good science and well-chosen technologies can direct the way to corrective regulatory measures; but without strong commitment from government, no amount of science or technology can help.
In presenting what is known about the causes and consequences of air pollution in this megacity, the authors highlight what needs to be done. Many key areas of measurement and methodology for consistently and accurately assessing air quality and its effects still require refinement.
The volume concludes with an extensive list of policy recommendations, emphasizing the value of integrated assessment and a long-term perspective. Intended for theguidance of policy makers in the Mexico Megacity, these recommendations form a provocative challenge to the leadership of other megacities with looming air pollution issues.
While each city - its problems, resources, and perspectives - is unique, the need for an integrated assessment of complex environmental problems is the same. The case study presented in this book demonstrates ways to work toward the comprehensive knowledge needed to build robust policy.

Water quality is important to everyone, but professionals in many disciplines need an understanding of this subject. Although water quality is complex, its general aspects can be grasped readily and with little background - only introductory chemistry and biology and a little algebra are needed. Unfortunately, the teaching of water quality is not well organized. In most colleges and universities, water quality instruction is given in certain engineering curricula and in aquatic ecology or fisheries curricula. There also is brief attention to selected topics on water quality in numerous classes in other curricula. Water quality training in engineering is highly specialized and directed by necessity towards water supply and water treatment, while the focus in aquatic ecology and fisheries is on biological water quality and pollution. Few students venture into specialized classes outside of their curricula, and as a result, their formal training in water quality is greatly restricted. Self-education by reading texts and reference books on water quality is difficult. Authors of water quality books seem to be more interested in presenting a rigorous, detailed treatment than in focusing on simplicity and clarity. Chemical aspects of water quality often are presented at a level requiring fairly advanced mathematics and physical chemistry, and biological discussions may be quite advanced and theoretical. I have taught water quality to seniors and graduate students in agriculture, wildlife and fisheries, environmental sciences, economics, and similar disciplines for many years.

This book tells a story of a large lake affected by agricultural and urban activities that have led to severe eutrophication problems with nuisance blue-green algal blooms. Although it is a case study of Lake Ringsjoen (southern Sweden), the background, problems and measures are applicable to many lakes throughout the world. From a limnological point of view, the Lake Ringsjoen story began more than 100 years ago, and during the last 20 years the sampling program has been intense, providing a unique data set on how a lake responds to human activities. However, the Lake Ringsjoen story is not only a case study, but also a historical record of the development of ecological theory and its application. Hence, the lake has been subject both to an extensive nutrient reduction programme and a biomanipulation by means of fish reduction. Here we aim at combining the unique limnological data set with the eutrophication process, the nutrient reduction programme and the biomanipulation in order to apply our empirical knowledge to future lake management measures.

In the framework of the Diderot Mathematical Forum (DMF) of the European Mathematical Society (EMS), December 19-20, 1997, a Videoconference was held linking three teams of specialists in Amsterdam, Madrid and Venice respectively. The general subject of this videoconference, the second one of the DMF series, was Mathematics and Environment and more specifically, Problems related to Water.

This volume contains the texts of the Madrid site contributions with important, new and unpublished, examples on the modeling, mathematical and numerical analysis and treatment of the associated control problems of relevant questions arising in Oceanography and Environment.

This book is the first edited compilation of selected, refereed papers submitted to ERTEP 2007. The selected papers either dealt with technologies or scientific work and policy findings that address specific environmental problems affecting humanity in general, but more specifically, people and ecosystems in developing countries. It was not necessary for the work to have been done in a developing country, but the findings and results must be appropriate or applicable to a developing country setting. It is acknowledged that environmental research, technology applications and policy implementation have been demonstrated to improve environmental sustainability and protection in several developed economies. The main argument of the book is that similar gains can be achieved in developing economies and economies in transition. The book is organized into six chapters along some of the key themes discussed at the conference: Environmental Health Management, Sustainable Energy and Fuel, Water Treatment, Purification and Protection, Mining and Environment, Soil Stabilization, and Environmental Monitoring. It is hoped that the contents of the book will provide an insight into some of the environmental and health mana- ment challenges confronting the developing world and the steps being taken to address them.

Although the end of the Cold War has paved the way to a substantial demilitarisation and conversion, the leftovers of this process a" such as former military installations, military training areas, and huge quantities of unserviceable ammunition and equipment a" still pose a severe threat to the environment of both NATO and Partner countries.

The rehabilitation of these areas for civilian uses is extremely costly and is generally in the short and medium term not possible. For this reason, the development of new methods for the estimation avoidance of risks should receive special priority. In the context of this ARW, the reconnaissance and appraisal of conversion areas with respect to costs, returns, and legal considerations were discussed. The decades-long use of some areas led to the heavy loading of contaminates. Every task of conversion has as its goal the elimination of dangers to humans and nature, and the return of areas to civil use, such that these areas can be used realise economic interests of the society.

The conversion of former military areas represents one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century, and demands considerable expenditures on the part of society if it is to be properly addressed. Further discussion of these issues and the recognition of the need for further research are important steps towards the return of former military areas to civilian usage.

Preface When you write a book like this after ten years' working as an environmental specialist, you end up with something that reflects your career. Of course, when I started working at the Ministry of the Environment in the Netherlands, I could not foresee that I would now be at TNO, nor that I would have performed research into chlorine, PVC, waste, etc. , that would come to form the basis for this book. But step by step, with some coincidence and with the support of several people - who were probably unaware of the crucial role that, with hindsight, they played - I arrived at a position where I could start to consider this enterprise. At this point I shall try something dangerous - thanking a few of those people who gave that support. At the same time, it is obvious that I cannot mention them all. I hope that those whom I do not mention will forgive me. A first, crucial moment in this sequence of events came quite soon after I joined TNO in 1990. Just a few weeks later, all the senior staff in my section decided to leave in order to set up their own company. I decided to stay at TNO. As a consequence, I had to manage it on my own.

Using a scientific approach to identify and take action against persistent organic pollutants (POPs), this book focuses on preventative measures to manage POPs at their source. Readers get a complete overview of existing POPs monitoring activities and programs. Moreover, readers discover the full range of remediation methods and the latest advances in the measurement of POPs. In addition, the authors discuss how POPs affect health.

Growth in the numbers of organic chemicals during recent decades has been extraordinary. Most are complex compounds that are released directly and/or indirectly to the surrounding environment. A view is emerging in relation to environmental protection and hazardous substance management that (1) some organic chemicals and/or organic leachates from solid waste materials and contaminated sediment/soil sites are of such extreme environmental concern that all use should be highly controlled including isolation for disposal; and (2) most hazardous substances are of sufficient social value that their continual use, production and disposal are justified. For these chemicals their types, sources, fate, behavior, effects and remediation at solid- aqueous phase interfaces must be fully assessed and understood. This assessment and understanding are essential for society to accept risks of adverse ecological or human health effects.

The book presents discussions of the application of Stan Cohen's theories alongside empirical contributions in the fields of critical and green criminology. Taken together, the authors critically address harms and crimes against the environment, as well as against human and nonhuman victims.

A group of highly esteemed aerosol scientists - physicists, chemists, biologists and toxicologists - met in Warsaw in September, 1995, in order to discuss the latest developments in the field of aerosol health subjects, including inhalation, lung transport and deposition. The relationship of these subjects with the environment was also addressed. This book contains the proceedings of the Workshop and also documents the ensuing panel discussions. Subject Index included.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy, and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Environmental devastation, a significant consequence of industrial activity in Soviet times, continues to be a major problem in Russia. Specific problems include radioactive pollutants from inadequately monitored nuclear plants, illegal logging and wildlife poaching which have grown into hugely profitable businesses for criminal gangs, and toxic waste from unsanctioned and poorly controlled metallurgical, petroleum and agricultural chemical industries. This book presents a wide ranging assessment of the environmental problems faced by Russia and of the crime and corruption which contribute to them. It also discusses the attitude of the Russian government which seems to view environmental protection as something for rich countries, something to be postponed until Russia is on the same economic footing as wealthier Scandinavian and western European countries. It concludes, gloomily, that the problems are getting worse and that little is being done to tackle them.

The first single-volume reference of its kind, this comprehensive handbook provides background information and analysis on the full range of contemporary ocean use issues. Coverage includes the development of ocean law, the evolving uses of oceans, data on living and non-living ocean resources, the environmental impact of pollution, and competing national claims over ocean exploration. The volume also summarizes the most current research available on the uses of oceans, incorporates the salient portions of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention in the topical surveys and analyses presented, and discusses all of the other major international conventions that have dealt with global ocean or marine affairs. Students, researchers, and agency staff concerned with the political and legal dimensions of ocean use will find this an indispensable source.

The handbook begins with an overview of the world's oceans and their physical and geographic features. The next two chapters survey the international conferences that have been held on ocean use and explore the historical development of international principles on the law of the sea. Ocean resources and their economic and political management form the focus of the following four chapters, with separate chapters on living and non-living resources and deep seabed mining. The final chapters address ocean environmental protection and pollution prevention and the implications of various uses of the ocean: military, navigation and transport, and marine scientific research. The text is accompanied by numerous charts and tables, end-of-chapter references, and seven appendixes which contain valuable supplemental information such as a chronological list of conventions and treaties on the law of the sea, national legislation on exclusive economic zones, bilateral fishery agreements, and more.

The scale of global transportation of oil cargoes has led to a demand for increased control and international legislation to combat accidental and operational dis charges of oily wastes and residues at sea. Since 1954 the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)* has provided the international forum for the development of several proposals for controlling oil pollution from shipping, which culminated in the 1973 International Convention for Prevention of Pollution from Ships and the 1978 Protocol relating to this Convention, together known as MARPOL 73178. Apart from the requirement for improvements in the constructional design of tankers, and operational procedures to enhance both safety and pollution control in the carriage of oil and other noxious substances at sea, MARPOL 73178 called for the extensive installation of oil discharge monitoring, control and separating equipment on board ships and offshore platforms. The 1973 Convention came into force in October 1983, twelve months after sufficient countries had ratified it and agreed to abide by the international rules and regulations. As a result, a large number of systems have now been installed and are operational. The demand to separate oil from water to give an oil content of less than 15 parts per million (ppm) and measure this on-line in an extremely difficult environment has pro vided a considerable impetus for the development of novel and robust instrumen tation and systems."

This title, first published in 1987, provides an authoritative account of both the science and the politics of acid rain. Chris Park places the debates surrounding acid rain in context, and examines the full implications of scientific studies and the effects of acid rain on surface waters, soils and buildings. Evidence is drawn from around the world, including an examination of the damage in Scandinavia and Germany and the effects of acid rain in the U.K. and U.S.A. A comprehensive and relevant work, this is an important guide for students of geography, environment and sustainability and energy policy.

Introduction: Green Consumerism, Green Labelling?
The Historical Context Key Trends
Green Labels and other Eco-Standards: A Definition
The Consumers Role: Trusting, Reflecting or Influencing?
Our Cases
Sceptical and Encouraging Arguments
Policy Contexts and Labelling
Three Framing Strategies: From a Complex Reality to a Categorical Label
Organizing the Labelling
Dealing with Mutual Mistrust
Green Labelling and Green Consumerism: Challenges and Horizons

Urban land is developed, utilised, abandoned and left to degradation in many different ways. These processes are closely related to four aspects of human activities: the extraction of resources, their transformation into goods, the production of waste and the conflicts that arise when population grows and demands increase while resources remain limited. Urban land is developed and deteriorates in the course of these activities, while cities keep spreading, consuming the green spaces surrounding them. Sustainable city development aims at protecting the environment by reusing urban terrain. The author brings together the different aspects of this transdisciplinary endeavour by discussing the causes of degradation, the strategies of investigation and the techniques of remediation of urban land.

This book is aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of recent developments in sustainability science and engineering. The book focuses on principles and practices and presents 18 interwoven chapters on four major themes: design for sustainability; sustainability metrics and analysis; sustainable energy; and sustainable supply/value. Significant, state-of-the-art work, methodologies, practices and plans are presented by researchers, technology developers and industry leaders. Topics discussed include: life cycle assessment; product end-of-life options; practical approaches to sustainability; environmental footprint assessment; biofuels; and sustainable supply chain management.

Human activities have dramatically changed the composition and organisation of soils. Industrial and urban wastes, agricultural application and also mining activities resulted in an increased concentration of heavy metals in soils. How plants and soil microorganisms cope with this situation and the sophisticated techniques developed for survival in contaminated soils is discussed in this volume.

The topics presented include: the general role of heavy metals in biological soil systems; the relation of inorganic and organic pollutions; heavy metal, salt tolerance and combined effects with salinity; effects on abuscular mycorrhizal and on saprophytic soil fungi; heavy metal resistance by streptomycetes; trace element determination of environmental samples; the use of microbiological communities as indicators; phytostabilization of lead polluted sites by native plants; effects of soil earthworms on removal of heavy metals and the remediation of heavy metal contaminated tropical land.

The Handbook of CO in Power Systems' objective is to include the state-of-the-art developments that occurred in power systems taking CO emission into account. The book includes power systems operation modeling with CO emissions considerations, CO market mechanism modeling, CO regulation policy modeling, carbon price forecasting, and carbon capture modeling. For each of the subjects, at least one article authored by a world specialist on the specific domain is included."

Proceedings of the International Workshop, Thermal Solid Waste Utilization in Regular and Industrial Facilities, held in Kazimierz Dolny, Poland, November 28-30, 1999. In recent years, industrial and urban growth has resulted in growing volumes of nondegradable wastes, and this volume focuses on the technologies related to recycling and material reuse which are now being favoured over land disposal. There is an overview on waste utilisation in industrial facilities, particularly cement kilns, from an ecological as well as technological aspect, and some innovative solutions of pyrolitic and plasma reactors, used for hazardous wastes combustion.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology publishes authoritative reviews on the occurrence, effects, and fate of pesticide residues and other environmental contaminants. It will keep you informed of the latest significant issues by providing in-depth information in the areas of analytical chemistry, agricultural microbiology, biochemistry, human and veterinary medicine, toxicology, and food technology.