Science of Risk and Radiation Protection

Abstract

Providing appropriate level of safety in nuclear waste management requires understanding of biological effects of ionizing radiation. Starting with discussing radiation interactions in biological system, this chapter describes the process of energy transfer from ionizing radiation to biological targets and how such energy transfer leads to critical effects of concern such as cell death, mutation, and cancer. The chapter also discusses how the concept of “dose” is defined to characterize the risk of radiation among the exposed individuals.