ABSTRACT
T his chapter starts with a brief review of the mechanisms governing the interaction of charged and uncharged radiation with matter, with the aim of presenting some of the
key concepts used in dosimetry and the operation of radiation detectors. Simple relations are then presented between the absorbed dose and kerma in terms of interaction coefficients. Cavity theories are also introduced to prepare the reader for the more comprehensive discussion of radiation detectors later in this book. The section on radiation biology gives an overview of the biological effects of radiation, and includes the basic knowledge required to follow subsequent discussions on radiation protection and intervention levels in emergency preparedness. Quantities related to the harmful effects of exposure to ionization radiation, such as the effective dose, are then discussed, and calculations of the absorbed dose and kerma from external sources with various geometries are presented. The chapter ends with a description of the models developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection for calculating the absorbed dose from radioactive sources inside the human body.
