Book excerpt: 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.