Health Effects of Exposure to Low-Level Ionizing Radiation

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This book is an easily readable text which, in seventeen chapters, covers far more subject matter than its title would suggest. It is the second edition of a text initially edited by W R Hendee in 1984 entitled `Health Effects of Low Level Radiation'. In producing this second edition, more information on the radiation physics principles, and the biology underlying the science of risk estimation and radiation protection, has been included, making it generally a more comprehensive publication. One limitation is that it has been written and published in the USA and therefore regulatory references are pertinent to the country of origin. The reader is also advised to regard with caution the figures quoted for radionuclide administrations for diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures in the US, which are substantially above the ARSAC recommendations in the UK. The same is true of the figures quoted for entrance skin doses for a range of diagnostic x-ray examinations, where the interested reader is recommended to consult the latest NRPB publication (1996). The chapters I found particularly interesting were chapter 16, which covers counselling of pregnant and non-pregnant patients about radiation risks, chapter 9 which details natural background radiation in the United States and chapter 10 which details a whole host of consumer products as sources of radiation. These chapters contain a wealth of information and gave me a different perspective on these issues to that with which I am familiar. To those lecturing in these fields, it is refreshing to be able to collect comparative or new data to be able to stimulate interest. The book contains an excellent historical review of radiation effects at doses below 50 cGy and usually below 10 cGy, focusing on genetic effects, cancer induction and effects to the foetus. Further chapters contain in-depth information on radiation interactions at the cellular and tissue level and extensive data from studies of in vitro radiation carcinogenesis and whole animal mutagenesis studies. Chapter 5 goes on to discuss the concepts and methods of estimation of risk and how this has been used in development of radiation protection standards. Chapter 6 contains useful data on exposures of the embryo at 10 rad and 100 rad for various species and different stages of gestation, and extrapolates the animal data to the human population (it would have been better to adopt consistency in choice of units). It also includes data on the in utero exposure of 1265 subjects at Hiroshima. Further chapters evaluate models for estimating radiation risk and highlight complicating factors when doing risk estimates, such as dependence on dose, dose rate, age, sex, period of observation and co-factors such as lifestyle and environmental conditions. This text also provides information on nuclear power generation and has an addendum on the Chernobyl accident. It contains detailed inventories of the radioactive waste, as at the end of 1992, held by the US Department of Energy Facilities and, in another chapter, addresses the issue of radioactive waste disposal. The last three chapters give a history of the development of radiation protection regulation in the US, education of workers and the public about radiation and prospects for future uses of radiation. The last chapter covers the decline of public trust in uses of radiation and identifies that there is no single solution to the problem of `protecting' a society from complex technology. This is a comprehensive text, providing a wealth of information on a wide variety of topics. This book would be of value as a reference text for anyone interested in an overview of radiation physics and biology and the science of risk estimation and radiation protection. It is of limited use in relation to use of radiation sources in medicine. The book would be particularly useful as a reference to undergraduates and those wishing to acquire more than a superficial knowledge of radiation biology and risk estimation, and gives a useful overview of public perception of radiation and its detrimental effects. Mrs C Griffiths