Every one of us will almost certainly be deliberately exposed to ionising radiation several times during our lifetime, especially for medical or dental diagnosis or treatment. We are also exposed to natural background radiation all the time. The deliberate use of ionising radiation for medical and other purposes has been going on for over 100 years now, and the public perception of the risks resultant from such exposure has changed quite dramatically during that time. However recent events have brought the attention of the public back to considering the potential harm of ionising radiation, such events including the Litvinenko Affair, Terrorism and Dirty Bombs, a return to Nuclear Power, etc.
Jim's talk will give a historical background to the uses of ionising radiation, discuss some of the recent issues in the public domain, and also introduce some of the latest thinking on the actual hazards and risks of exposure to ionising radiation.

Jim Thurston gained a BSc in Applied Physics at Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University), followed by a MSc in Medical Radiation Physics at Brunel University.  He has worked for twenty years as a Medical Physicist in the Radiation Protection Services of four major London teaching hospitals.  His work has involved the areas of radiology (x-ray) physics and the audit of work with radioactive substances.  He has also been involved in physics support of the use of lasers in medicine.  He has recently taken up the post of Head of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, having spent the past nine years as Radiation Protection Adviser at King’s College Hospital. 
His teaching commitments have included lecturing to students at King’s College London both at undergraduate and postgraduate level; and giving tutorials, seminars and lectures to clinicians, nurses, radiographers and other hospital staff on aspects of radiation protection.  If he was to win £1million on the National Lottery, he would still cycle to work – but he’d be riding a much better bike!