Radioactivity and Radiation Protection

Students renew and expand their knowledge on nucleus and atom structure, and get basis of: different kinds of radioactive transformations, interactions of radiation with matter and its effects on living cells, detection of different kind of radiation, procedures of handling with radiation sources and applying radiation protection, basic knowledge of national and international legislation and recommendations in radiation protection.
Students will become capable to implement the fundamental knowledge into everyday life and to critically consider benefits and risks of radiation.

For better understanding of the subject, basic knowledge gained in previous courses of mathematics, physics and chemistry is prerequisite.
The course offers a good basis for the Radioecology and Radiation Biology and Biophysics courses

• Discover of radioactivity
• Law of radioactive transformation
• Various radioactive transformations
• Basic physics needed for understanding radioactivity and properties of radiation
• Atom
• Nucleus
• Radioactive transformations
• Interaction of radiation with matter
• Dosimetry
• Detection and measurement of radiation
• Statistics in radioactivity
• Radioactivity in the environment

Students will be capable to use new knowledge in recognising risks of radiation in their living and working environment; based on the kind and characteristics of a particular radionuclide they will be skilled to take protection measures in the case of exposure; they will be able to protect themselves against natural and artificial radiation sources; with the basic dosimetry knowledge they will be capable to critically evaluate any information on dose levels; they will be able to classily and characterize radionuclides present in our homes and at workplaces, in nuclear industry, and medical diagnostic and therapy.

• Colloquium (30 %) • Writing examination (30 %) • Oral examination (40 %)

Regular professor of Radioactivity at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School

Bibliography

1. KOVÁCS, Tibor, SZEILER, Gábor, FÁBIÁNI, Ferenc, RICHÁRD, Kardos, GREGORIČ, Asta, VAUPOTIČ, Janja. Systematic survey of natural radioactivity of soil in Slovenia. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, ISSN 0265-931X. [Print ed.], 2013, no. 122, str. 70-78, doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2013.02.007. [COBISS.SI-ID 26660135].
2. VAUPOTIČ, Janja, OGRINC, Nives, BRENČIČ, Mihael, KOBAL, Ivan. Tritium mapping in spring waters in Slovenia. Geochemical Journal, ISSN 0016-7002, 2011, vol. 45, no. 6, str. 505-512. [COBISS.SI-ID 951646].
3. VAUPOTIČ, Janja, BARIŠIĆ, Delko, KOBAL, Ivan, LULIĆ, Stipe. Radioactivity and radon potential of the terra rossa soil. Radiation measurements, ISSN 1350-4487. [Print ed.], 2007, vol. 42, str. 290-297. [COBISS.SI-ID 20757543],
4. VAUPOTIČ, Janja. Radon and gamma-radiation measurements in school on the territory of the abandoned uranium mine "Žirovski vrh". Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, ISSN 0236-5731, vol. 247, 2001, str. 291-295. [COBISS.SI-ID 15884327].
5. VAUPOTIČ, Janja, ANČIK, Meta, ŠKOFLJANEC, Miro, KOBAL, Ivan. Alpha scintillation cell for direct measurement of indoor radon. Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part A, Environmental Science and Engineering, ISSN 1077-1204, 1992, vol. A27, str. 1535-1540. [COBISS.SI-ID 5464871].