Radiation physics for personnel and environmental protection at accelerators will be presented in this course. The composition of accelerator radiation fields for electron, proton, and ion accelerators will be reviewed. The methods of designing radiation shielding at accelerators will be presented. Specific attention will be devoted to low-energy neutron phenomena and the production of induced radioactivity in both accelerator components and environmental media. A review of radiation detection instrumentation that is found to be particularly useful in understanding accelerator radiation fields will be included. Participants in the course are expected to have a basic undergraduate background in physical science and a mathematical background at the level of first-year undergraduate calculus.
This course will deal with various problems and procedures encountered in the calibration of portable instruments in ionizing radiation fields. The discussions will draw primarily on material available in NCRP Report No. 112. Attention will be paid to calibrations of instruments for assessing photon, neutron, and beta radiation fields, particularly from the standpoint of dose assessment, although some time will also be spent on calibration requirements for assessing surface contamination-measuring instruments. Considerations will include source selection; characterization of the radiation field; linearity of response; stability of response; energy dependence; source-detector geometry considerations, and radiation scattering effects on instrument response. Additional topics that will receive some attention, given sufficient remaining time, will include accuracy and acceptance criteria, facility requirements, and record-keeping.
AAHP COURSE 3 Room: Commonwealth
Technologically enhanced levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are produced during a number of industrial processes. Products and by-products of these processes can be dispersed into the environment, leading in some cases to the need for environmental surveys, dose assessments, site remediation, and waste disposal. This course will present an overview of NORM and processes by which technologically enhanced NORM is generated, with particular emphasis on radium-226, radium-228, and their progeny. Current and impending guidance and regulatory issues will be reviewed as they relate to characterization and remediation of NORM sites. The advantages and limitations of available instruments and analytical methods for site characterizations will also be discussed. Internal and external dosimetry of NORM will be examined with particular emphasis on acquisition of data necessary for accurate dose assessments or reconstructions. Site remediation strategies will be presented and NORM waste disposal options will be reviewed. The course will conclude with a discussion of other issues of public concern, including potential health effects and litigation. This course will be presented at an intermediate level, assuming that participants have a basic understanding of natural background radiation sources and doses.