Radioactivity in the Environment

Radioactivity in the Environment, Second Edition, presents the facts on the presence of both natural and manmade radionuclides in the environment. Sources of ionizing radiation that can lead to human exposure are discussed, including natural sources, nuclear explosions, nuclear power generation, the use of radiation in medical, industrial and research purposes, and radiation-emitting consumer products. In this thoroughly updated edition, users will find new sections on developments in radioactive nuclides in nature and technologically modified exposure to natural radiation, new threats by terrorist individuals, groups and countries, changes to the status of nuclear power in the world, and more.

Additional new sections cover radioisotopes in geo-prospecting and the oil industry, the use of radiation in environmental protection, detector types and detectors used for personal dosimetry, the "Dirty Bomb", the Fukushima accident, and North Korea testing sites and nuclear capabilities.

• Includes details of analytical laboratory procedures for radioactivity measurement in different samples
• Features a new chapter on decontamination after radiation exposure
• Expands the discussion on nuclear fusion to cover ITER and other installations

Dr. Vladivoj (Vlado) Valkovic, professor of physics, received his PhD in physics in 1964, with the thesis "Nuclear reactions with 14.4 MeV neutrons. He was employed with the Institute Ruder Boskovic from 1961 until his retirement in 2004. During this time, he also worked at Rice University, Houston, Texas (1965-67, 1970-73, 1975-77, as a professor of physics) and International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria (1989-1996, as a Head of Physics-Chemistry-Instrumentation Laboratory). Since 2004 he has been active through his companies VALKOVIC Consulting and SAGITTARIUS Consulting.
The list of his professional collaborations includes: Institute Jozef Stefan, Ljubljana, Slovenia (Associated member); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Legnaro (Padova), Italy (1986-1996: Guest scientist and fellow); Free University, Amsterdam, Holland (1981-1982: Visiting professor); University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia (1973-1975, 1977-1979: Professor of physics); University of Houston, Department of Physics Houston, Texas, USA (1971-1973: Adjunct professor).
He is a fellow of American Physical Society and Institute of Physics (London), and he is the author of 18 books and more than 390 scientific and technical publications in major scientific journals in the research areas of nuclear physics and instrumentation application of nuclear techniques to problems in biology, medicine, environmental research and trace element analysis. His present interests include the role of trace elements in biological systems, influence of weak magnetic fields on trace element concentration factors and the role trace elements play in the origin of life in the Universe.