Hazards and safety - The effect of radiation on living matter can be quite devastating (see radiation injury). Therefore, radiation safety and monitoring is particularly important.

... HAZARDS AND SAFETY The effect of radiation on living matter can be quite devastating (see radiation injury). Therefore, radiation safety and monitoring is particularly important. Radiation safety problems fall into three categories: personnel protection, contamination control, and waste disposal (see nuclear energy). Energy dissipation must be quantified to determine exposure levels. Biological effects of radiation are determined by the amount of energy absorbed. Therefore the time of exposure and rate of exposure must be defined. The roentgen (R) was defined as the quantity of gamma or X radiation required to produce one electrostatic unit of electricity of either sign per cubic centimeter of dry air. However, the roentgen is valid only for photon interaction with air and does not relate to tissue absorption or particulate radiation. Normally, exposure is expressed in roentgens/hour or milliroentgens/hour. A unit based on the energy dissipation of radiation in biological tissue was devised in 1953 and called

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