Health and Safety Books

The following review of this text was published in Health Sciences Supplement, May 1998.

"This textbook on radiation protection in diagnostic radiology covers x-ray production, x-ray interaction with matter, basic radiation biology, technques to reduce patient and personnel dose, and image quality. In addition, the book provides an overview of radiation protection organizations and their functions and safety issues in MRI. It is intended to be a text for an introductory course on radiation protection in diagnostic radiology, and to provide an overview of radiation protection issues. In my opinion, the book well meets these objectives. Although the material covered in the is not new, it is current and organizes in a single text useful information. This book will be an excellent supplementary text for a course in physics of radiology usually given to technologists or as a text for independent course in radiation protection in diagnostic radiology. Figures, tables, and illustrations are well done and with the right balance. The references are adequate and refer the reader to authoritative and readily available texts. A unique and useful feature is the statement of the objectives at the beginning of each chapter. Also included are self-assessment questions at the end of each chapter. It also provides the reader with a good overview of radiation protection organizations. The book would be an excellent introductory text on this subject for radiologic technologists"

Review by Charles Wilson, PhD., FACR (Medical College of Wisconsin)

I am a Medical Physicist and I found this book to be an excellent review and have recommended it to our Cheif Radiology Resident for the Radioloy Residents for Physics review. This would be an excellent addition to any Health, Medical Physicists resources as well as the mentioned Scientist, Regulators and Physicians of the title.

By far not a perfect treatment of this subject but not bad at all, really. And also not too expensive the way medical books go nowadays.

January 2005 is National Radon Action Month!
EPA and organizations nationwide dedicate January as National Radon Action Month to encourage the public to test their homes for radon and get radon problems fixed. Did you know?

Radon comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be found all over the U.S. It can get into any type of building - homes, offices, and schools - and result in a high indoor radon level. But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home, where you spend most of your time

You can't see radon. And you can't smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home.

-Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer
-Nearly one in 15 homes in the U.S. has a high level of indoor radon
-The U.S. Surgeon General and EPA recommend all homes be tested for radon.
-Homes with high radon levels can be fixed.

One of my fellow researchers collaborated on this book a few years ago. When he first showed it to me I thought nothing of it, but I hae since grown to find it extremely interesting and a worthwhile addition to any air researcher's book collection. As suggested by the title, there are no in depth studies, but it gives a quick look at nearly every possible air pollutant (except gases, its only flaw).

This is a great resource for any Industrial Hygienist or safety professional. Breaks down common industrial processes into easy to understand poetential exposures and hazards. I use this book all the time. It is a great reference.

There are things that we should know and don't and our ignorance has very little consequence in our life one way or the other. On the other hand, some things we ought to know because they have real potential for altering the way we live. In Nick Valcik's book Regulating the Use of Biological Hazardous Materials in Universities: Complying With the New Federal Guidelines we find out that perhaps not all is well in many of the nation's finest research university laboratories and he clearly makes the point that this could have dire consequences.

At a time when the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services have stopped work at a dozen or more university biological and radiological labs, Dr. Nicolas Valcik delivers for us the story of one such distinguished (name absent) research university and its problems in complying with new health and safety standards issued by the federal government.

The book is a good story of how dedicated and exceptionally talented scientists get immersed in their work and the safety and security standards do not get the attention required. The author is sympathetic to the scientists who deliver for us research findings we need to remain prominent in the health, medical, and security fields. They are scientists first and the regulations, no doubt needed, get compromised, apparently a lot more than we imagine.

In the book's report of trying to comply with new federal biological and radiological protection guidelines at one distinguished research university we begin to see what could be a much larger problem throughout the nation. We are even treated in this book to pictures of regulation and security violations that were overlooked by the scientific staff.

If you want to take one book that is well researched and documented which will give you an inside glimpse of what may be a serious problem at our research universities and in their communities, read Dr. Valcik's treatise that unfolds like a story and gives you enjoyably what you need to know about this critical area in scientific research.

This is the 5th edition of DJ Smith's excellent book on reliability in the real world. Having worked in this field for a number of years, I can honestly say that Mr. Smith has provided a perfect means of understanding the principles behind basic reliability calculations, in a way that is neither condescending nor unneccesarily complex. I recommend this book in the strongest possible terms to readers interested in gaining a greater understanding of the world of reliability engineering without having to trawl through pages of postgraduate mathematics.

An excellent sourcebook covering all aspects of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) the new epidemic of the technological age. You may have RSI and not even know it, and if you are reading this review you are definitely at risk for it (computer users are particularly at risk). Almost two-thirds of all workplace injuries in the U.S. are caused by it. The author, a newspaper reporter, describes the injury, what causes it, how to recognize if you have it, how to avoid it if you don't yet have it, the various treatments available, and how it is likely to affect your life outside the workplace. To illustrate each chapter, the author has included interviews with RSI victims from across the country. She concludes with a description of her own affliction with RSI, a story that is searing, yet ultimately uplifting. The most important value of this book is not just that it is a comprehensive review of this disease, but even more importantly, that it calls attention to a disease that can be truly thought of as the new plague of the twentieth century, a disease that has so far claimed its victims in silence. What is particularly insidious about RSI is that unlike the other epidemics that afflicted humankind, the contagion is not spread from person to person, but from machine to person, meaning the epidemic will increase just about as fast as our use of computer keyboards increases. Because this epidemic is not transmitted in the way previous epidemics have been, it has remained a silent yet increaing crippler of otherwise healthy and productive adults. The public awareness that will be required to halt the spread of this disease can be found in the pages of this book. I highly recommend it.

The Riders of the Storm is an engaging and informative look at the history of the lifeboat service in UK. Included are descriptions of various boats and other equipment used by the RNLI over the years; accounts of rescues made by the service; and, a look at some of the people that figure prominently in lifeboat service history. The author includes a wealth of illustrations, many in color.