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Radiation and Health Part 6: Environmental Pathways and Radiation Effects

Description
When radiation readings are included in a National Priorities List ("Superfund") site data package, public health assessors are sometimes uncertain about how to evaluate the data. For some health assessors, there can be a gap in their knowledge about the nature of radioactivity, their knowledge about how to accurately measure radioactive substances in environmental media, or how to determine the dose of radioactivity to which community residents were exposed. This gap makes it difficult for health assessors to knowledgeably evaluate the nature and quality of radiological data, or to communicate effectively with ATSDR's consulting health physicists in order to identify and address urgent radiation-related public health issues.

The series describes the nature and origins of environmental radiation ("Part 1: Atomic Structure and Isotopes" and "Part 2: Radioactive Elements and Their Decay"), accurate measurement of radioactive isotopes in environmental media ("Part 3: Radiation Detection and Measurement" and "Part 4: Introduction to Radiation Dosimetry"), and how to identify possible pathways of radiation exposure and calculate exposure doses ("Part 5: Radioactive Materials in the Environment" and "Part 6: Environmental Pathways and Radiation Health Effects".)

At the conclusion of the entire 6-part series, participants will be able to perform a knowledge-based, preliminary evaluation of environmental radiation data, recognize when a public health radiation hazard may be present, and be prepared to communicate effectively with ATSDR's professional health physicists about radiation issues when discussing conditions at hazardous waste sites.

The training will be both in-class and Net Conferencing. Travel to Atlanta, Georgia, is not necessary. All you need in order to attend this training is a PC with access to the Internet and a separate phone line. However, only a limited number of connections (portals) are available. Please reserve a room at your location with Internet projection so one portal can serve multiple attendees to maximize the training opportunity for all partners. Procedural details will be provided via email to individuals reserving a portal for the training (e.g., bridge number, Web site link, and information on any plug-ins necessary for connectivity and pre-course testing).

Those in Atlanta are invited to participate in the training at the location specified below.

Sponsoring ATSDR Division, Office, or Partner
NCEH/ATSDR Division of Health Assessment and Consultation

Course Instructors and Planners
Click on name to see instructor bio.

Paul Charp (Course Manager)

Objectives

The goal of this course is to enable health assessors to perform a knowledge-based preliminary evaluation of environmental radiation data that have been obtained at hazardous waste sites.

Session Details - Part 6

Learning Objectives: At the end of this educational activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain why some tissues, such as bone marrow cells, are very sensitive to radiation damage while other tissues, such as muscle, are very resistant
• List 3 symptoms commonly observed in Acute Radiation Syndrome
• Calculate the likelihood of excess cancer incidence from the radiation absorbed dose and the cancer slope factor

• Importance of chemistry
• Radiation biology
• Example evaluation of environmental radiation data