Risks posed by ionizing radiation and chemo-toxic substances

Concern over the risks from exposure to radiation or chemical toxins now appears to be forming an integral part of everyday life for a large percentage of the population. In this volume, attempts have therefore been made to compile well documented information relating to those topics as well as to give insights into relevant interconnections and to elucidate certain terms that are not closely enough defined or even have contradictory uses. In the two introductory reports, the multifarious perceptions of what may constitute a risk are outlined and discussed on a large scale stretching from mathematical to purely intuitive factors. The subsequent contributions focus on individual aspects pertinent to dangers from ionizing rays and chemical toxins and examine their wider implications in terms of social, ethical and psychological influences. Of the ten contributions to this volume two were prepared for individual retrieval. (orig./MG)