HEALTH PHYSICS PHYS 6700

Transcription

1 HEALTH PHYSICS PHYS 6700 Instructor: Office: M. Dingfelder Austin131 Time: Class: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 09:00-09:50 Problems: tbd Howell Science Complex: E213 Fall Term 2012 Office hours: Tuesday: 10:00-11:00 Wednesday: 14:00-15:00 Friday: 10:00-11:00 or by appointment. Textbook J.E. Turner, Atoms, Radiation, and Radiation Protection Third Edition, Wiley-VCH, 2007.

2 Supplemental Literature and Reference Material There is a big variety of textbooks on Health Physics, Radiation Protection, Dosimetry, Environmental Health, etc. There exist also a big variety of reference material like reports, regulations, and suggestions from governmental to international advisory organizations. The following is a list of some reference material; most of them should be found online or in libraries. Radiation protection and dosimetry - an introduction to Health Physics, Michael G. Stabin, Springer, Medical Health Physics, Edited by David C. Medich, Christopher Martel, Health Physics Society 2006 Summer School, Medical Physics Publishing, Madison, WI, Microdosimetry and its applications, by. H.H. Rossi and M. Zaider. Code of Federal Regulations, Energy; 10, parts (Jan. 1996). North Carolina Regulations for Protection Against Radiation 15 A NCAC 11, (November 2007); Section Standards for protection against radiation Available as PDF on-line at Also: link to radioactive materials, link to regulations. The National Research Council Reports BEIR VII, Phase II: Health Risks from Exposure to Low-Levels of Ionizing Ragiation, NRC BEIR VI: Health Effects of Exposure to Radon, NRC BEIR V: Health Effects of Low-Levels of Ionizing Radiation, NRC BEIR IV: Health Risks of Radon and other Internally Deposited Alpha-Emitters, NRC National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Reports NCRP 160: Ionizing Radiaiton Exposure of the Population of the United States. NCRP 155: Management of Radionuclide Therapy Patients. NCRP 151: Structural Sheilding Design and Evaluation for Megavoltage X- and Gamma-Ray Radiotherapy Facilities. NCRP 147: Strcutural Shielding Desigh for Medical X-Ray Iamging Facilities. NCRP 136: Evaluation of the Linear-Nonthreshold Dose-Response Model for Ionizing Radiation. NCRP 130: Biological Effects and Exposure Limits for Hot Particles. NCRP 116: Limitations on Exosure to Ionizing Radiation. NCRP 108: Conceptual Basis for Calculations of Absorbed Dose Distributions. NCRP 105: Radiation Protection for Medical and Allied Health Personnel. NCRP 104: The Relative Tiological Effectiveness of Radiation of Different Quality. NCRP 84: General Concepts for the Dosimetry of Internally Deposited Radionuclides.

3 International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements ICRU 74: Patient Dosimetry for X Rays used in Medical Imaging. ICRU 72: Dosimetry of Beta Rays and Low-Energy Photons for Brachytherapy with Sealed Sources. ICRU 67: Absorbed-Dose Specification in Nuclear Medicine. ICRU 65: Quantities, Units and Terms in Radioecology. ICRU 60: Fundamental Quantities and Units for Ionizing Radiation. ICRU 51: Quantities and Units in Radiation Protection Dosimetry. ICRU 36: Microdosimetry. ICRU 32: Methods of Assessment of Clinical Dose. ICRU 30: Quantitative Concepts and Dosimetry in Radiobiology. ICRU 25: Conceptual Basis for the Determination of Dose Equivalent. ICRU 16: Linear Energy Transfer. International Commission on Radiological Protection Reports Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) - MIRD Primer and MIRD Data. Internet Sevices, e.g., National Nuclear Data Center, etc... and others as necessary and appropriate!

4 Schedule and Contents SCHEDULE IS TENTATIVE AND APPROXIMATE! Due to travel some classes will be canceled. Makeup classes will be scheduled on SELECTED Mondays and Wednesdays from 08:10-09:00. Please have a close look on the day-by-day schedule! Topics and dates for material to be covered can change on a day-by-day basis to conform to student interest and class dynamics. in total 42 classes each 50 minutes. Tentative Schedule and Contents 1. Scientific basis for health effects and the source of exposure limitations. 2. Statutes and regulations pertaining to the production, use, and transport of radiation and radioactive materials. 3. Common terms used in Radiation Protection. 4. Sources and characteristics of radiation and radioactivity. 5. Radiation detection devices, monitoring, radiation control. 6. Operational dosimetry, Microdosimetry. 7. Shielding. 8. External radiation. 9. Internal radiation. 10 Particle accelerators. 11. Radon. 12. Non-ionizing radiation. Course focus: The course will address the general philosophy of health physics, sources of information regarding radiation risks, our current understanding of radiation risks, regulations on the use of radiation and radioactive material, sources and characteristics of radiation, radioactive materials, interactions of radiation with matter, dosimetry of external and internal radiation, shielding, and health effects of non-ionizing radiation such as UV radiation, low and high frequency electromagnetic radiation and ultrasound. Important dates: Sept 3: Labor Day: no classes Sept 4: Monday schedule - today is class! Sept ZZ: Test I Oct 6-9: Fall break. Oct XX: Test II Nov YY: Test III Nov 20: Term paper is due at 23:59 EST Nov 21-25: Thanksgiving break. Dec 10 Finals (cumulative) 08:00-10:30.

5 Course Scoring Scoring will be divided into four categories: 1. In-term tests (45 %): There will be three in term tests during the semester. Each test will count 15 %. 2. Worked out problems (10 %): There will be homework problems assigned on a regular basis. 3. Term paper (15 %): Each student has to write a term paper. More information see below. 4. Final Exam (30 %): The final exam will be cumulative. Each test, the final exam and all workout problems together will be designed to yield 100 points for a perfect score. Typically, the following grade scale will be used: grade 50%: F; 50% < grade < 70%: C; 70% grade < 90%: B; 90% grade: A. Term Paper The term paper must address a problem in Health Physics relating to internal or external dosimetry and concomitant risk; it should be thorough in defining the problem with adequate background information on the subject and a clearly defined solution with appropriate statistical analysis where relevant. Problems must be identified from topics provided by the instructor or, by special agreement with the instructor, topics of specific interest of the student may be substituted. The topic should be chosen early in the semester and communicated to the instructor to alleviate last minute panic! Students are to work independently, no group papers, no copied paragraphs/conclusions. Internet references are not allowed unless they are linked to peer reviewed publications. The paper is due on Tuesday, November , at 23:59 EST. Only electronic submissions (pdf format preferred, Microsoft Word format accepted) will be considered. Grading of the term paper includes content (65 %, problem defined, background, analysis, solutions, conclusions, references) and presentation (35 %, including organization, presentation style, and language). News and supplemental information News and additional course information will be posted on the web page and/or on Blackboard. Please check both information sources from time to time. Office Hours I encourage everybody to stop by my office whenever you have questions or problems. Don t hesitate to do so also outside official office hours.

6 Suggested Topics for Term Paper The following is a list of instructor suggested/approved topics for the term paper. If you have other suggestions please come and see me. Radiological/health consequences of world-wide fallout from nuclear weapons testing and/or reactor accidents, e.g., Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, recent wild fires in Russia threatening contaminated areas in Mayak and Chernobyl. Fukushima one year after the accident - can the exclusion/evacuation zone be resettled? And when? After Fukushima - radiological health risks and considerations from eating japanese food, especially sushi and sashimi in the US and in Japan. Radioactive hazards and safety practices around a charged particle accelerator such as might be used for heavy ion radiotherapy. Consider effects of direct beam exposure, scattered beam exposure, nuclear reactions producing secondary particles including neutrons, alpha particles, beta rays, gamma rays, etc. Polonium the spy poison. Is it really so dangerous? And why? Dose effect considerations in medical physics procedures. What can be done in therapy if the patient is pregnant? What safety practices are needed for staff if the staff member is pregnant? What is the dose to the fetus from a thyroid scan? What, if the pregnancy is discovered after the procedure? Should airline pilots and crews be considered radiation workers? The new airport whole body scanners - What do we know about radiation exposure, risks and regulations? Regulatory and possible health issues in the use of diagnostic ultra-sound. Regulatory issues and possible health issues in exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, e.g., cell phones, power frequency electric and magnetic fields, etc. Residential radon, a significant health risk? Why has plutonium been called the most toxic material known to man? Is there any basis to that contention? and so on.