Spectrum Lecture Series 2013-2014
Radiation Forensics of Human Exposures
Thursday,October10th, 4:30 pm
Montgomery College
Globe Hall, HT Building,
Germantown Campus
Marc Desrosiers, PhD
Research Chemist
NIST
Human skeletal tissues are composed of both organic and inorganic (mineral) portions.
For bone and tooth tissue, ionizing radiation (x-rays, gamma rays, high-energy particles)
absorbed by the mineral component (hydroxyapatite) results in a chemical change that
can be measured by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometry. EPR has
been successfully used to quantify radiation overexposures to radiation accident victims
where bone or dental tissues were available for analysis. The presentation will include
an introduction to radiation fundamentals and describe how EPR was used in two
radiation accidents as well as to study Russian populations exposed to excessive
radiation from Cold War nuclear weapons activities. The data from these studies are
used by the National Cancer Institute to assess the appropriateness of radiation safety
guidelines for health care and industrial workers.
Marc F. Desrosiers, a research chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) since 1986, received his B.S. in chemistry from Boston College in 1978, and his Ph.D. in
inorganic chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1983. Dr. Desrosiers
was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Argonne National Laboratory from 1984-86. As a member of
the Radiation Physics Division (1986 to present), Dr. Desrosiers' research includes radiation
metrology and the development of standards and services. In particular, his activities include:
radiation accident dosimetry; clinical radiology; and, industrial radiation processing. Dr.
Desrosiers is an author of more than 100 archival publications in radiation research. He has
received numerous awards, including the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award for
his innovative research in radiation measurements.
As always, Spectrum Lectures are appropriate for a general audience and admission is free. No tickets
are required. For questions or to request accommodations for physical disability, please contact
Susan Bontems at susan.bontems@montgomerycollege.edu or 240-567-7740. More information
about Spectrum Lectures can be found at:
http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/edu/department.aspx?id=10883