ADVANCED NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES FOR RADIOPROTECTION
Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: GIORGIO RUSSOExpected Learning Outcomes
The student will have acquired basic knowledge of the principles of radiation protection, and of the radiation protection issues related to the most common sources of ionizing radiation found in hospital, industrial, and research environments. They will also be familiar with the calculation methods used to assess the dose received by workers and the general population, as well as with some shielding techniques for X-ray, gamma, and neutron sources.
Course Structure
Frontal teaching with the use of presentation slides
Required Prerequisites
The student is required to have a basic understanding of radiation-matter interaction, both for electromagnetic radiation within the ionizing spectrum and for neutrons and ions. Furthermore, they should be familiar with the main dosimetric quantities and the principal detectors used for measuring ionizing radiation.
Attendance of Lessons
2 - 4 h a week
Detailed Course Content
- Basic concepts of radiation protection
- Radiation protection in diagnostic radiology
- Radiation protection in nuclear medicine
- Radiation protection for medical accelerators
- Radiation protection for research accelerators – flash radiotherapy
- Radiation protection for industrial accelerators (ion implanters)
- Radiation protection for equipment used in industrial environments
- Management of potentially contaminated solid waste
- Management of potentially contaminated liquid waste
- Management of radioactive gaseous waste
Textbook Information
NCRP nr. 151, NCRP nr. 147, NCRP nr. 144, ICRP Publication 103
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic concepts of radiation protection | ICRP |
| 2 | Radiation protection in diagnostic radiology | NCRP 147 |
| 3 | Radiation protection in nuclear medicine | |
| 4 | Radiation protection for medical accelerators | NCRP 151 |
| 5 | Radiation protection for research accelerators – flash radiotherapy | NCRP 151 |
| 6 | Radiation protection for industrial accelerators (ion implanters) | NCRP 144 |
| 7 | Radiation protection for equipment used in industrial environments | NCRP 144 |
| 8 | Management of potentially contaminated liquid waste | |
| 9 | Management of radioactive gaseous waste | |
| 10 | Management of potentially contaminated solid waste |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The exam will consist of two parts:
- The presentation of a paper chosen by the student, with the support of the instructor, focusing on an in-depth analysis of a specific radiation protection issue.
- An oral examination covering the topics addressed during the course.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
- Definition of effective dose
Definition of ambient equivalent dose and how it is measured (main detectors)
Shielding calculation for an X-ray tube used in medical applications
Dose assessment for a worker using X-ray analytical equipment in industrial settings
Shielding evaluation for a medical cyclotron
Radiation protection issues in nuclear medicine
Management of solid radioactive waste
Management of liquid radioactive waste
Management of radioactive gas