ABSTRACT
In the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority itself the record is good not only so far as industrial accidents are concerned but also radiation exposure. The latest Report of the Authority records that the number of employees classified as radiation workers is about 20,000 and that the maximum permissible whole-body dose was exceeded on only four occasions and on one occasion due to inhalation of tritium. Television equipment is negligible as a general source of ionizing radiation, but could give significant doses in certain special circumstances to development and maintenance engineers. Therapeutic radiology adds only a small contribution by the irradiation of patients often with advanced malignant disease, elderly and of low fertility, so that its contribution to genetic dose is low. However, much of the contribution to genetic dose from radiotherapy arises from the treatment of non-malignant disease and could be substantially reduced.
