Radiation Effects programs -Reply

[Charles Willis <CAW@nrc.gov>]

Scott,

This is an interesting mix of interests and I doubt that she will find a masters
program that covers all that material.  Generally, I think of doses in three ranges:
very high doses (megarads) that damage materials, high doses (kilorads) used in
materials precessing, and lower doses (hectorads and lower) that may cause
biological damage.  This last category may subdivided by addressing environmental
doses where the effects are at the cellular level or are merely conjectural.

For the very high doses, one place to start is: Grenthon and Rottger, Eds.,
"Reactor Dosimetry," Dordrecht: Reidel Press, 1986.  It is the proceedings of a
symposium with all the attendant faults, but it is a place to start.

At the next level, there is: "High Dose Dosimetry for Radiation Processing,"
Vienna: IAEA, 1991.  Again, a proceedings, but widely available.

For radiation biology, I am not sure there is a better introduction than: Casarett,
"Radiation Biology," Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1968.  A somewhat different
perspective is offered by: Walden and Farzaneh, "Biochemistry of Ionizing
Radiation," NY: Raven Press, 1990.  For the lower dose region, there is: Hendee
and Edwards, "Health Effects of Exposure to Low-Level Ionizing Radiation,"
Bristol, UK: IOP Publishing, 1996.  Of course, we must mention Kondo,"Health
Effects of Low-Level Radiation," Madison: Medical Physics Publishing, 1993.  I
presume there is no need to mention the reports of the NCRP, ICRP, BEIR and
UNSCEAR, but they are important.

If her interests are in radiation biology or in health physics, of course, we would
welcome her at Georgetown.  For health physics, it would not do to fail to mention
the Baltimore-Washington Chapter's Certification Prep. course.  

Charlie Willis
caw@nrc.gov
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