Radioactive aerosols

This book is about radioactive gases and particles which are dispersed in the environment, either from natural causes or following nuclear test and accidental emissions. In the first five chapters of this book, the formation and properties of radioactive aerosols are described. Radon which is of natural origin, is treated at some length, because its contribution to background radiation dose is important. Chapters describe the release of fission products, tritium and plutonium, in bomb tests and nuclear accidents. Particular reference is made to the pathways leading via agricultural products to man. The emphasis then changes to cover experimental aspects of radioactive aerosols, for example, problems in micrometeorology, the study of mass transfer, and the mechanics of human lung and uptake of lead from motor exhausts. (author)