International Research Journal of Public and Environmental Health
Vol.1 (6), pp. 132-139, August 2014
ISSN 2360-8803
Article 14/ID/ JPRH058, 08 pages
Copyright © 2014 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 International License

Education of the public about radiation protection

Jana Hudzietzová and Jozef Sabol*

Faculty of Biomedical Engineering of the CTU in Prague, Nam. Sitna 3105, 272 01 Kladno, Czech Republic.

*Corresponding Author Email: j.sabol44(at)gmail.com
Tel.: +420733311843

Members of the public are often confused when the media inform about radiation or nuclear accidents because of difficulties to understand due to the complicated terminology used. This is also the case related to medical examination or treatment involving the use of ionizing radiation or radioactive material where patients are exposed to certain doses. The impact of radiation has to be expressed in a manner such that even a layman without any special education or knowledge regarding the harmful effects of radiation should be able to understand such information in terms of a resulting risk where it is important to see this risk in perspective with the other risks we are all facing at workplaces or in everyday life. The public should distinguish between low-level exposure risks where only stochastic effects (i.e., delayed effects such as occurrence of cancer or genetic abnormalities) are expected and high-level exposures, which will result in some visible detrimental health consequences characterized as deterministic effects. The paper summarizes some basic terminology in radiation protection and quantities used for the assessment of the exposure of persons to ionizing radiation. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between the dosimetry and radiation protection quantities versus corresponding biological effects.