Abstract
A man walks into the doctor’s office, raises his arm and says, “Doc, it hurts when I do this.” The doctor says, “Don’t do that.” An old vaudeville joke may seem an odd start to a chapter on dosimetry, but hidden within this joke is a kernel of truth concerning the nature of dosimetry and why we bother with it. The field of radiation protection is faced with past experience concerning the uranium miners and other groups exposed to radon and its progeny. If we look carefully, there are lessons to be learned from these experiences, lessons which can guide us in determining how to act in future situations involving radiation which might differ in some way from the past experiences. For example, new experiences may differ from the past in regard to the amount of radioactivity inhaled, the kind of radioactivity inhaled, the size of the particles inhaled, or even the ages and health of the people involved.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, Radiation Quantities and Units, ICRU Report 33, Bethesda, MD (1980).
H.H. Rossi, The role of microdosimetry in radiobiology, Radiat. Environ. Biophys. 17, 29 (1979).
International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, Microdosimetry, ICRU Report 36, Bethesda, MD (1983).
E. Polig, Hit probabilities for cellular targets by bone surface seeking alpha emitters, Phys. Med. Biol. 26, 369–377 (1981).
D. J. Crawford-Brown, Age dependent hit probibilities for lung cancer induction following exhalation of ingested radon, Proc. Second Workshop on Lung Dosimetry, Cambridge, England, September 1985 (to be published).
J. A. Simmonds and S. R. Richards, Microdosimetry of alpha irradiated lung, Health Phys. 46, 607 (1984).
W. Hofmann, Microdosimetry of plutonium in lungs, Health Phys. Suppl. 1, 44, 419–429 (1983).
D. R. Fisher, In search of the relevant lung dose, in: Current Concepts in Lung Dosimetry (D. R. Fisher, ed.) CONF 820492, pp. 29–37, National Technical Information Center, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (1983).
ICRP Task Group on Lung Dynamics, Deposition and Retention models for internal dosimetry of the human respiratory tract, Health Phys. 12, 173–207 (1966).
A. VanAs and I. Webster, The morphology of mucus in mammalian pulmonary airways, Environ. Res. 7, 1–12 (1974).
G. A. Laurenzi, The mucociliary stream, J. Med., 15, 175–176 (1973).
M. A. Sleigh, The Biology of Cilia and Flagella, Pergamon Press, London (1962).
J. Sade, N. Eliezer, A. Silberg, and A. C. Nevo, The role of mucus in transport by cilia, Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 102, 48–52 (1970).
G. E. Angus and W. M. Turbeck, Number of alveoli in the human lung, J. Appl. Phys. 32, 483–483 (1972).
K. Horsfield, Quantitative morphology and structure: Functional correlations in the lung, in: The Lung: Structure, Function and Disease, W. M. Thurlbeck and M. R. Abell, eds.), p. 151, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, MD (1978).
E. R. Weibel, The cell population of the normal lung, in: Lung Cells in Disease (A. Bouhuys, ed.), p. 3, North Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam (1976).
E. R. Weibel, Morphometry of the Human Lung, Academic Press, New York (1963).
C. N. Davies, A formalized anatomy of the human respiratory tract, in: International Symposium on Inhaled Particles and Vapors (C. N. Davies, ed.), p. 82, Pergamon Press, Oxford (1960).
H.D. Landhahl, On the removal of airborne droplets by the human respiratory tract: I. The lung, Bull Math. Biophys. 12, 43 (1950).
W. Findeisen, Über das Absetzen Kleiner, in der Luft Suspendierter Teilchen in der Menshlichen Lunger bei der Atmung, Pfluegers Arch. J. Ges. Physiol. 236, 367 (1935).
K. Horsfield, Models of the human bronchial tree, J. Appl. Phys. 31, 207–217 (1971).
H. C. Yeh and M. Schum, Models of human lung airways and their application to inhaled particle deposition, Bull. Math. Biol. 42, 461 (1980).
O. G. Raabe, H. C. Yeh, G. M. Schum, and R. F. Phalen, Tracheobronchial Geometry: Human, Dog, Rat, Hamster, Lovelace Foundation Report, LF-53, Albuquerque, NM (1976).
A. Hislop, D. C. F. Muir, M. Jacobson, G. Simon, and L. Reid, Postnatal growth and functions of the pre-acinar airways, Thorax 27, 265–274 (1972).
W. Hofmann, F. Steinhausler, and E. Pohl, Dose calculations for the respiratory tract from inhaled natural radioactive nuclides as a function of age, Health Phys. 37, 517–532 (1979).
International Commission on Radiological Protection, Report of the Task Group on Reference Man, ICRP Publication 23, Pergamon Press, New York (1974).
D. J. Crawford-Brown, A Generalized Age Dependent Lung Model with Applications to Radiation Standards, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report, NUREG/CR-1955, Oak Ridge, TN (1981).
D. J. Crawford-Brown, Identifying critical human subpopulations by age groups: Radioactivity and the lung, Phys. Med. and Biol. 27, 539–552 (1982).
D. J. Crawford-Brown and K. F. Eckerman, Modifications of the ICRP Task Group lung model to reflect age dependence, Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 2, 209–220 (1983).
R. A. Millikan, The Electron, Protons, Photons, Neutrons, Mesotrons and Cosmic Rays, 2nd Ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago (1974).
P. G. Gormley and M. Kennedy, Diffusion from a stream flowing through a cylindrical tube, Proc. R. Ir. Acad. 52, 163 (1949).
C. N. Davies, Diffusion and sedimentation of aerosol particles from Poiseville flow in pipes, J. Aerosol Sci. 4, 317–328 (1973).
D. V. Ingham, Diffusion of aerosols from a stream flowing through a circular tube, J. Aerosol Sci. 6, 125–132 (1975).
J. W. Thomas, Particle loss in sampling conduits, in: Assessment of Airborne Radioactivity, p. 701, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (1967).
R. E. Pattle, Inhaled Particles and Vapours, p. 70, Pergamon Press, Oxford (1961).
H. D. Landahl and S. Black, Filtration of airborne particulates through the human nose, J. Ind. Hyg. Toxicol. 29, 269 (1947).
M. Lippmann, Deposition and clearance of inhaled particles in the human nose, Ann. Otol Rhinol. Laryngol. 79, 519–528 (1970).
J. Heyder, Total deposition of aerosol particles in the human respiratory tract for nose and mouth breathing, J. Aerosol Sei. 6, 311–328 (1975).
F. A. Fry, Charge distribution on polystyrene aerosols and deposition in the human nose, J. Aerosol Sei. 1, 135–146 (1970).
R. F. Hounam, A. Black, and M. Walsh, The deposition of aerosol particles in the naseopharyngeal region of the human respiratory tract, J. Aerosol Sei. 2, 47–61 (1971).
T. T. Mercer, The deposition model of the Task Group on Lung Dynamics: A comparison with recent experimental data, Health Phys. 29, 673–680 (1975).
A. George and A. J. Breslin, Deposition of radon daughters in humans exposed to uranium mine atmospheres, Health Phys. 17, 115–124 (1969).
W. L. Dennis, (comments on discussion) in: Inhaled Particles and Vapors (C. N. Davies, ed.), p. 88, Pergamon Press, Oxford (1961).
W. Stahlhofen, J. Gebhart and J. Heyder, Experimental determination of the regional deposition of aerosol particles in the human respiratory tract, J. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. 41, 385–398 (1980).
H. Landahl and R. Herrmann, Sampling of liquid aerosols by wires, cylinders and slides and the efficiency of impaction of the droplets, J. Colloid Sci. 4, 103 (1949).
J. Johnstone, I. Isles, and D. Muir, Inertial deposition of particles in the lung, J. Aerosol Sci. 4, 269–270 (1973).
K. Takahashe and H. Ito, A Computational Model for Regional Deposition of Aerosol Particles in the Human Lung, Technical Report of the Institute of Atomic Energy 17, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan (1976).
H. Yeh, Use of a heat transfer analogy for a mathematical model of respiratory tract deposition, Bull. Math. Biol. 36, 105 (1974).
International Commission on Radiological Protection, The Metabolism of Compounds of Plutonium and Other Actinides, ICRP Publication 19, Pergamon Press, Oxford (1972).
M. Friedman, F. D. Scott, D. O. Poole, R. Dougherty, G. A. Chapman, H. Watson, and M. A. Sackner, A new roentgenographic method for estimating mucus velocity in airways, Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 115, 67–72 (1977).
D. Yeates, N. Aspin, H. Levison, M. T. Jones, and A. C. Bryan, Mucociliary trachéal transport in man, J. Appl. Phys. 39 (1975).
A. D. Barclay, K. J. Franklin, and R. G. Macbeth, Roentogenographic studies of the excretion of dusts from the lungs, Am. J. Roentgenol. 39, 673–686 (1938).
G. Gamsu, R. M. Weintraub, and J. A. F. Nadel, Clearance of tantalum from airways of different caliber in man evaluated by a roentgenographic method, Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 107, 214–224 (1973).
B. Altshuler, N. Nelson, and M. Kuschner, Estimation of lung tissue dose from the inhalation of radon and daughters, Health. Phys. 10, 1137–1161 (1964).
A. K. M. Haque and A. J. L. Collinson, Radiation dose to the respiratory system due to radon and its daughter products, Health Phys. 13, 431–443 (1967).
G. A. Laurenzi, The mucociliary stream, J. Occup. Med. 15, 175–176 (1973).
W. Whaling, The energy loss of charged particles in matter, in: Handbuch der Physik (S. Flugge, ed.), p. 193, Springer, Berlin (1958).
H. Bichsel, Charged particle interactions, in: Radiation Dosimetry (F. H. Attix and W. C. Roesch, eds.), p. 158, Academic Press, New York (1968).
E. Rotondi, Energy loss of alpha particles in tissue, Radiat. Res. 33, 1–9 (1968).
P. J. Walsh, Stopping power and range of alpha particles, Health Phys. 19, 312–316 (1970).
A. K. M. Haque, Energy expended by alpha particles in lung tissue, Br. J. Appl. Phys. 17, 905 (1966).
N. H. Harley and B. S. Pasternack, Alpha absorption measurements applied to lung dose from radon daughters, Health Phys. 23, 771–782 (1972).
D. J. Crawford, Radiological Risk of Actinon (219Rn), Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report ORNL/TM-7977, Oak Ridge, TN (1980).
D. E. Lea, Actions of Radiations on Living Cells, Cambridge University Press, London (1955).
W. Jacobi, The dose to the human respiratory tract by inhalation of shortlived 222Rn and 220Rn decay products, Health Phys. 10, 1163–1174 (1964).
V. N. Kirichenko, Experimental studies of the short-lived daughters of radon in the respiratory tract, Gig. Sanit. 2, 52 (1970).
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement, Evaluation of Occupational and Environmental Exposures to Radon and Radon Daughters in the United States, NCRP Report 78, Bethesda, MD (1984).
H. Goldziecher, Über Baselzellen Wucherungea der Bronchial Schlemeit,” Zentralbl. Allg. Path. Pathol. Anat. 29, 506 (1918).
P. Kotin, D. Courington, and H. L. Falk, Pathogenesis of cancer in ciliated mucus secreting epithelium, Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 93, 115–124 (1966).
S. Hattori, M. Matsuda, R. Tateishi, H. Nishihara, and T. Harai, Oat cell carcinoma of the lung, Cancer 30, 1014–1024 (1972).
E. M. McDowell and B. F. Trump, Histogenesis of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in tracheobronchial epithelium, Surv. Synth. Pathol. Res. 2, 235–242 (1983).
J. Horacek, V. Placek, and J. Sevc, Histologic types of bronchogenic cancer in relation to different conditions of radiation exposure, Cancer 40, 832–835 (1977).
R. M. Gastineau, P. J. Walsh, and N. Underwood, Thickness of bronchial epithelium with relation to exposure to radon, Health Phys. 23, 857–860 (1972).
O. G. Raabe, Deposition and Clearance of Inhaled Aerosols, Laboratory for Energy Related Health Research Report UCD 472-503, University of California, Davis (1979).
N. H. Harley and B. S. Pasternack, Environmental radon daughter alpha dose factors in a five-lobed human lung, Health Phys. 42, 789–799 (1982).
A. C. Chamberlain and E. D. Dyson, The dose to the trachea and bronchi from the decay products of radon and thoron, Br.J. Radiol. 29, 317–325 (1956).
P. J. Walsh, Radiation dose to the respiratory tract of uranium miners—A review of the literature, Environ. Res. 3, 14–36 (1970).
W. Hofmann and F. Steinhausler, Dose calculations for infants and youths due to the inhalation of radon and its decay products, in: Proceedings of DECUS Europe Symposium, London, pp. 315-320 (1977).
R. Schlesinder and M. Lippmann, Particle deposition in the trachea, in vivo and hollow casts, Thorax 31, 678–684 (1976).
G. A. Ferron, Deposition of polydisperse aerosols in two glass models representing the upper human airways, J. Aerosol Sci. 8, 409–427 (1977).
P. Hammill, Particle deposition due to turbulent diffusion in the upper respiratory system, Health Phys. 36, 355–369 (1979).
T. Martonen, personal communication (1986).
D. J. Crawford-Brown, On a theory of age dependence in the incidence of lung carcinomas following inhalation of a radioactive atmosphere, in: Current Topics in Lung Dosimetry (D. Fisher, ed.), pp. 178–188, CONF-820492, Batelle Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (1983).
T. L. Chan and M. Lippmann, Experimental measurements and empirical modelling of the regional deposition of inhaled particles in humans, J. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. 41, 399–409 (1980).
G. Giacomelli-Maltoni, C. Melandri, V. Prodi, and G. Tarroni, Deposition efficiency of monodisperse particles in the human respiratory tract, J. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. 33, 603–610 (1972).
F. Shanty, Deposition of Ultrafine Aerosols in the Respiratory Tract of Human Volunteers, Doctoral dissertation, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (1974).
B. Altshuler, L. Yarmus, E. Palmes, and N. Nelson, Aerosol deposition in the human respiratory tract, AMA Arch. Ind. Health 15, 293–303 (1957).
N. Foord, A. Black, and M. Walsh, Regional Deposition of 2.5-7.5 μm Diameter Inhaled Particles in Healthy Male Non-Smokers, AERE Harwell Report, ML-76-2892, Great Britain (1976).
M. Lippmann and R. Albert, The effect of particle size on the regional deposition of inhaled aerosols in the human respiratory tract, J. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. 30, 257–275 (1969).
F. T. Cross, N. H. Harley, and W. Hofmann, Health effects and risks from Rn-222 in drinking water, Health Phys. 48, 649 (1985).
D. J. Crawford-Brown, Age dependent lung doses from ingested 222Rn in drinking water, submitted to Health Phys. 52, 149–156 (1987).
I. O. Anderson and I. Nilsson, Exposure following ingestion of water containing Rn-222, in: Assessment of Radioactivity in Man, p. 317, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (1964).
W. vonDobeln and B. Lindell, Some aspects of Rn-222 contamination following ingestion, Arkiv für Fysik 27, 531 (1964).
J. B. Hursh, D. A. Morken, T. P. Davis, and A. Lovaas, The fate of Rn-222 ingested by man, Health Phys. 11, 465–476 (1965).
M. Suomela and H. Kohlos, Studies on the elimination radiation and the radiation exposure following ingestion of Rn-222 rich water, Health Phys. 23, 641–652 (1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Crawford-Brown, D.J. (1987). Dosimetry. In: Cothern, C.R., Smith, J.E. (eds) Environmental Radon. Environmental Science Research, vol 35. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0473-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0473-7_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0475-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0473-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive